From a full-time mother, Svetlana Tikhnovskaya became the elected and exiled president of the Belarusians • In a first interview with an Israeli newspaper, she admits: "We did not expect such cruel repression" • and estimates: "The regime will not survive after the spring"
There are not many people who can at any given moment compete for the unimaginable return of Svetlana Tiknovskaya within a year.
From a full-time housewife and mother, Tikhnovskaya, 38, became the elected president of Belarus, who soon met half of Europe's leaders and one of Bloomberg's 50 men of the year.
Now, she is being interviewed for the first time for an Israeli newspaper.
Thousands demonstrate in the streets of the capital of Belarus // Archive photo: Reuters
In an interview, which will be published in full on Friday in "Israel This Week", Tikhnovskaya refers to the Belarusian protest against dictator Lukashenko, who declared himself a victor and clung to power at the cost of cruel oppression of his people.
Since August, the Belarusians have been protesting against the election fraud, going out to demonstrate and fighting the regime, but for now Lukashenko still holds power, despite growing sanctions.
"People go to demonstrations with the understanding that in the evening they may not return home, and their position will not change," says Tikhnovskaya. "Perhaps we will be required to make a longer effort than we initially expected.
How long, in your estimation, will Lukashenko still be able to last?
"The regime can fall at any moment. To calculate accurately is too difficult - because there are lots of factors that may influence, some known and some not. We do everything in our power to accelerate, we fight for it every day, every hour. But the regime can survive until spring. "This is really unreasonable, because it is precisely by this time that the sanctions will take full effect and their impact will be well felt in the economic crisis."
One of the meetings Tikhnovskaya held at its headquarters in Vilnius (Vilna) was with the Israeli ambassador to Lithuania, Yossi Levy.
In the background: the handing over of the treaty documents by the Israeli ambassador in Minsk to Rodin Lukashenko.
"We did not know how to interpret the delivery of the treaty documents, so the meeting with the Honorable Ambassador Levy was a very worthy tribute," says Tikhnovskaya. "We were glad that Israel understood that there was a problem and tried to solve it."
Did you expect Israel to protest or condemn what is happening in Belarus?
"More could have been done, of course. Although the Israeli ambassador in Minsk was not the only one to present the treaty letter to Lukashenko that day, we really did not expect such a move from Israel, because it is a friendly people and many Israelis support Belarusians. In Minsk. "
Tikhnovskaya, who, in parallel with an extremely busy schedule of meetings, also raises two children, tells candidly about the moments of breaking - and coping.
"I have no right to give up or give up another meeting with another leader, do my utmost to advance the Belarusian cause. And when I feel out of place, I stop myself and say, 'There are people in prisons. They are a hundred times harder. Do not dare to break down. ! '
So every now and then I burst out, every now and then I cry, but I gather strength and move on. "
The full interview - on Friday in "Israel Hashavua"