On January 25, a solemn ceremony was held in Vilnius in memory of the participants of the 1863 uprising. It was attended by the presidents of Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine, as well as the leader of the Democratic Forces, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. The events began with a mass at the Cathedral of St. Stanislaus and St. Vladislav in the center of Vilnius. Afterwards, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a speech. In it, he mentioned Belarusians and even Lukashenko’s Spit, writes Zerkalo.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy devoted a significant part of his speech to Belarus. According to him, the 1863 uprising confirmed that «our destiny is to be together.»
Our success — that of Ukrainians, Poles, Lithuanians, and Belarusians — can only be a shared success. To the extent that we are together, we can be independent,» he said.
The Ukrainian president compared two models characteristic of Eastern Europe: «There is our common model, in which people, nations, and cultures matter. And there is a model that has taken root to the east of us, and which for centuries has come to our home with contempt and wars.»
Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania have already achieved freedom, the Ukrainian president noted: «Belarus is still forced to exist as a Russian governorate. Today, so many years after Kastus Kalinovsky, everything he fought for remains relevant for Belarus, although for Ukraine, Lithuania, and Poland, it has already happened. And this is relevant not only because he was right, but because Belarusians have yet to achieve true independence and true protection of life. So far, Lukashenko’s white Spitz has been given more rights than the people of Belarus — unfortunately. There was an opportunity to change this in 2020 — and there will be another opportunity.
Zelensky recalled that in 2020, support for Belarus «was insufficient.» «And today, we all feel how much harder, more expensive, and much more dangerous it has become for everyone because of Belarus’ dependence on Moscow. This dependence is not diminishing. Russian operators of Shahed drones are also operating against Ukraine from Belarusian territory. Communications for the strikes are maintained from Belarus. Russia is using Belarus as a testing ground to blackmail Europe and the world with Oreshniki. Belarusian industry is working for the Russian war, and Belarus’s trade ties are helping Putin buy the components he needs to build a threat to everyone in Europe,» the Ukrainian president said.
Zelensky is convinced: «The Belarusian uprising should have won in 2020 — so that there would be no threat from there today. Europe and the world should have supported the rebellious people — and history would have been safer.» In his opinion, the same can be said about the uprisings of 1863, which did not receive the necessary support.
Now such support exists. «In 1863, the rebels could not even dream of such unity, but today this unity is working. The European Union exists — and is growing stronger every year. The United States is with us. Canada is with us. Japan is with us,» he said.
«And I want to say separately to the people of Belarus: you are a European people who will be together with all our peoples in a united, free Europe. In a peaceful Europe. In a strong Europe. You cannot be erased. None of us can be erased. I thank all the Belarusian volunteers who are fighting for our independence and for a historic chance for their country. I thank everyone who is helping Ukraine — and thereby helping themselves. I thank everyone who supports the truth being heard, Europe taking action to stop wars and guarantee security,» said the Ukrainian president.
The idea of unity between our peoples was echoed by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda. «It is precisely the inherited tradition of freedom that has forever separated our peoples — Lithuanians, Poles, Ukrainians, Belarusians — from Russia, which made every effort but was unable to destroy this invisible but extremely strong border,» he said during a mass at Vilnius Cathedral dedicated to the anniversary of the uprising.
It should be recalled that on January 22, 1863, an anti-Russian uprising began, spreading across Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, and Ukraine. It ended in defeat, but became an important stage in these countries’ struggle for freedom.