“I’ve never met anyone as pure of heart as Sviatlana. I can’t hold a candle to her,” Siarhei Tsikhanouski said in 2025. “Now it’s going to hurt even more, Sviatlana Hieorhiyeuna,” he says in 2026. Both remarks concern his wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of Belarus’ democratic forces. Less than a year and a half separates them. During that time, Siarhei has tried to regain influence in Belarusian opposition politics, where Sviatlana and her Office now play the leading role.