Sviatlana Shatsilina explained why she left the post of head of the Mission of Belarusian Democratic Forces in Ukraine
"I'm used to either being effective or not wasting time."
Sviatlana Shatsilina, August 8, 2026. Photo: Nasha Niva
Sviatlana Shatsilina has left the post of head of the Mission of Democratic Forces of Belarus in Ukraine. She worked in this capacity for 11 months, but, according to her, she was unable to agree with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Office and the United Transitional Cabinet on how the mission should operate.
In a conversation with "Nasha Niva", Sviatlana Shatsilina says:
“It seems to me that 11 months is enough time to understand if the work aligns with your principles. I am used to working for results, and for that, certain processes must exist. My vision of how the mission should work as a representation of the Office, and the Office's vision, differed slightly. Therefore, for me, this was an absolutely conscious and correct decision.”
"The story with my son is in no way connected to my resignation"
The former head of the mission does not want to publicly disclose all the details of the disagreements. According to her, there are documents and agreements, the disclosure of which could harm the common cause. However, she outlines the essence of the conflict quite clearly: the parties had different views on the status of the mission and its place in the system of democratic forces.
Sviatlana Shatsilina wanted the representation in Kyiv to function as a full-fledged political structure, effectively as a future Belarusian embassy:
"Strategically, everyone understood that the Ukrainian direction needed to be developed. But the approaches differed. My vision was this: the mission is a representation, a conditional proto-embassy. Unfortunately, during this time I was unable to achieve the same vision from the Office."
"I'm used to either being effective or not wasting my time or others' time in vain," she adds.
Shatsilina calls the resignation itself a normal democratic tool:
“This is a normal way to politically state that you disagree with certain processes. I did that.”
Recently, Shatsilina's name was mentioned in the media in connection with a criminal case against her son, Mikita Shatsilin. However, the former head of the mission denies that this story could have influenced her resignation or work in Ukraine:
“This is in no way connected. Yes, a criminal case has been initiated against my son. But now he works with veterans. He was awarded, fought twice: first in the ATO, and then in 2022-2023. From the Ukrainian authorities, I have not heard from anyone that this situation had any significance for my work.”
What was achieved in 11 months
Sviatlana Shatsilina says that she leaves behind an already formalized structure: the mission has premises, legal registration, and a bank account.
One of the main results she considers to be the systematization of problems faced by Belarusians in Ukraine. Among them are legalization, expired Belarusian passports, difficulties with opening and using bank accounts.
The passport issue became particularly acute after Belarusian authorities in 2023 effectively deprived Belarusians abroad of the ability to exchange documents at consulates. In Ukraine, which introduced additional restrictions for citizens of Belarus after the Russian invasion, this threatened people with the loss of legal status.
According to Shatsilina, the mission collected information about such cases and corresponded with Ukrainian authorities, and also prepared proposals for possible solutions. This was done together with representatives of the Belarusian diaspora:
“For volunteers, the issue of expired passports has already been resolved, but for most civilian Belarusians, it has not. We managed not only to describe the problems but also to clarify them with the Ukrainian authorities and offer our vision for a solution.
In addition, the mission participated in the preparation of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's visit to Kyiv, held strategic sessions with Belarusians in Ukraine, and tried to establish a dialogue between different parts of the diaspora. Work also began with Ukrainian state and public organizations, to whom we explained the position of the Belarusian democratic forces.”
"Perhaps, more explanation was needed for the Office"
Relations between official Kyiv and the democratic forces of Belarus remained strained for a long time. However, after Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's visit to Ukraine, Shatsilina believes, noticeable changes occurred in the relations:
“The degree of warming in attitudes towards Belarusian democratic forces is felt. Political will exists; now it needs to translate into administrative decisions. This includes the issue of legalization, the recognition of expired passports, and bank accounts, especially for people with temporary certificates. The work here has only just begun.”
Sviatlana Shatsilina admits: perhaps, during her tenure, she should have explained her vision and certain things more to the Office:
“When you consider something obvious, you sometimes don't notice that for the other side it might not be so. For me, it was obvious that Ukraine is one of the main directions and that all communications and processes should be organized accordingly.”
At the same time, she is not completely leaving political work. Sviatlana Shatsilina remains a member of the Coordination Council and the "United Civic Platform" faction, where she intends to continue working, including on the Ukrainian direction.
She left all contacts and prepared documents with the mission. Shatsilina's assistant also continues to work there.
Belarusians in Ukraine have not yet become "one voice"
One of the tasks that the former head was unable to fully accomplish was the unification of the Belarusian diaspora. However, Shatsilina suggests speaking not of its disunity, but of "segmentation":
“This is a certain stage of growth for Belarusian society abroad. There are people who helped collect information about problems, prepare letters and proposals for the Ukrainian state. I am sincerely grateful to them for their help. But there are also those who do not deeply trust the political structures of the democratic forces.”
Sviatlana Shatsilina advises the new head of the mission, Volha Zazulinakaja, to take into account the specifics of a country living under war conditions, and to strive for Belarusians to speak "with one voice" before the Ukrainian authorities:
“We are all different, but on certain issues, we must be a united fist. The Ukrainian authorities must understand that in efforts to protect the interests of Belarusians, we act as a united front. For this, the diaspora must trust the mission, and the mission must truly advance its problems. I was unable to bring this process to an end. Now this is the task of the next head.”