Answers to common questions about our petition to declare Russian occupation of Belarus and derecognize Lukashenka, in Belarusian and English.

The corrupt Putin regime threatens democracy and prosperity in the region as much as it is inflicts misery inside Russia; its enablers must be stopped for the region’s nations, including Belarus, to have a fair shot at the pursuit of happiness. Belarus Freedom Forum strongly endorses the Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 6846, CORRUPT Act, which would require the President to review a list of almost 200 individuals implicated in corruption and human rights violation by Russia and determine whether they meet the criteria for the imposition of sanctions.

Here are scripts you can use when you call your elected officials and ask them to derecognize Lukashenka and declare Belarus occupied. Call the Washington, DC, office and ask to speak with the foreign policy advisor. If they are unavailable, leave a message with the receptionist. If you get their voicemail inbox, please leave a message. Use this link to find Representative and Senators and their contact information: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members

We call on the Biden-Harris administration not give any concessions to the Lukashenka regime, to find more realistic solutions to mitigate the risk of a looming food crisis, to further expedite all actions in support of Ukraine, and to include representatives of Central and Eastern European diasporas in consultations on the US strategy in the region.

We call on the Biden-Harris administration and the U.S. Congress to: declare and recognize the Republic of Belarus is illegally occupied by Russia and demand the complete withdrawal of the Russian troops from Belarus; declare and recognize Lukashenka and the current government of Belarus to be a puppet government controlled by Russia and lacking any legitimacy both nationally and internationally; advocate for international derecognition of Lukashenka and his government as the legitimate governing body of Belarus; denounce and refuse to recognize any international treaties or agreements Lukashenka and his government will attempt to enter; facilitate the prosecution of Lukashenka as a co-perpetrator of war crimes and acts of terrorism against the Ukrainian people; recognize Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya as the legitimate Head of the Republic of Belarus.

Despite maintaining the facade of Belarus as an independent state, the quiet takeover of Belarus by Russia has happened. The illegitimate usurper of power, Lukashenka, and the Russian president Putin signed the integration road maps and the military agreement in November 2021. The Russian troops are stationed in Belarus and use Belarusian territory and infrastructure for the missile strikes and on-the-ground invasion of Ukraine. The newly amended constitution includes the provision of a close political, economic, and military union with Russia. As the new constitution takes effect on March 15, Belarus is no longer neutral and may host nuclear weapons.

As Russia leverages help from Belarus to invade Ukraine from three sides, the Ukrainian army, outgunned and outnumbered, keeps up fierce resistance. The West steps up its efforts to contain Russia’s aggression and help Ukraine fight back. Belarus’s regime faces additional punitive measures for its role in the invasion.

Belarus Freedom Forum asks the US government to recognize Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of the democratic forces of Belarus and the evident winner of the contested August 2020 presidential election in Belarus, as the official representative of the people of Belarus.

The Belarusian American organizations, representing the interests of the Belarusians in the United States, call on the Biden-Harris administration and the U.S. Congress to take additional immediate actions aimed at the Putin and Lukashenka regimes for the invasion of independent and sovereign Ukraine and the atrocities committed against the Ukrainian people.

The Belarus Freedom Forum, representing the interests of the Belarusian Americans in the U.S., calls on the Biden-Harris administration and the members of the U.S. Congress to take immediate actions aimed at the Lukashenka’s and Putin’s regimes that undermined the sovereignty and independence of Belarus, advanced the integration of Belarus in the so-called “Union State” and orchestrated aggression against Ukraine.