Sergei Tikhanovsky
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Sergei Leonidovich Tikhanovsky (born 18 August 1978) is a Belarusian
YouTuber A YouTuber is a content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006 ...
,
video blogger A vlog (), also known as a video blog or video log, is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in one ta ...
,
opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * ''The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Comedy ...
leader and pro-democracy activist. He is primarily known for his activism against the government of Belarus's long-serving president,
Alexander Lukashenko Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (also transliterated as Alyaksandr Ryhoravich Lukashenka; born 30 August 1954) is a Belarusian politician who has been the first and only president of Belarus since the office's establishment in 1994, making hi ...
. In May 2020, he announced his intention of running for the 2020 presidential election, but he was arrested two days after the announcement, and his wife
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya Sviatlana Hieorhiyeuna Tsikhanouskaya (; born 11 September 1982) is a Belarusian political activist. After standing as a candidate in the 2020 presidential election against the president Alexander Lukashenko, she has led the political opposit ...
then ran in place of him as the main rival to Lukashenko in the contested election. On 21 June 2025, Tsikhanouski was released from prison after US representative
Keith Kellogg Joseph Keith Kellogg Jr. (born May 12, 1944) is an American diplomat and retired Lieutenant general (United States), lieutenant general in the United States Army. He previously served as the national security advisor to Vice President Mike Penc ...
's visit to Belarus, after five years of solitary confinement.


Early life and education

Sergei Leonidovich Tikhanovsky was born in
Horki Horki or Gorki (, ; ) is a town in Mogilev Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Horki District. In 2009, its population was 32,777. In 2024, it had a population of 28,961. As of 2025, it has a population of 28,626. Histo ...
, Mogilev Region,
Byelorussian SSR The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, Byelorussian SSR or Byelorussia; ; ), also known as Soviet Belarus or simply Belarus, was a republic of the Soviet Union (USSR). It existed between 1920 and 1922 as an independent state, and ...
(now Belarus),Mahilyow. Picket to collect signatures of presidential candidate Tikhanovskaya.
Country for Life YouTube channel
and raised in
Gomel Gomel (, ) or Homyel (, ) is a city in south-eastern Belarus. It serves as the administrative centre of Gomel Region and Gomel District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it is the List of cities and largest ...
. He studied at a physical and mathematical gymnasium, then graduated from the Faculty of
Philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...
of the
Francisk Skorina Gomel State University Francisk Skorina Gomel State University (; ) is a medium-sized university situated in Gomel, Belarus. It was opened in 1930. General Information Francisk Skorina Gomel State University consists of 12 faculties. Students are admitted on the ba ...
. Tikhanovsky opened nightclubs in Gomel and
Mazyr Mazyr or Mozyr (, ; , ; ; ) is a city in Gomel Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Mazyr District. It is situated on the Pripyat (river), Pripyat River about east of Pinsk and northwest of Chernobyl in Ukraine. As of 2025, ...
and organized concerts, and became engaged in video production, advertising, and music videos.


YouTube channel

Tikhanovsky says he became a blogger almost by accident. He organized a farmstead near
Gomel Gomel (, ) or Homyel (, ) is a city in south-eastern Belarus. It serves as the administrative centre of Gomel Region and Gomel District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it is the List of cities and largest ...
and faced bureaucratic hurdles from local, regional, and national officials, then spoke of his difficulties with journalists. The
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel "Country for Life" ()Detained Belarusian blogger set to be Lukashenka's rival in 2020 election
Belsat TV Belsat (; ; stylised as B☰LSAT) is a Polish free-to-air terrestrial and satellite television channel aimed at Belarus. The channel is a subsidiary of Telewizja Polska, TVP S.A. From the outset, it has been co-funded by the Ministry of Foreign ...
(7 May 2020).
was launched in 2019 and managed to attract 140,000 subscribers during the year. The channel is dedicated to stories of ordinary Belarusians and real cases of entrepreneurs "which will help to build a country for life". Tikhanovsky shoots a video on social and political topics and talks about the problems of people – mainly in the Belarusian regions. Together with his team in a car with the logo "Real News", Tikhanovsky spent more than a month driving around Belarus and interviewing subscribers, who told him about the problems in the city and the country on camera. The most popular video on the channel (almost one million views as of 30 May 2020) is the story of a woman from the town of
Hlybokaye Hlybokaye or Glubokoye (; ; ; ; ) is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Hlybokaye District. As of 2024, it has a population of 17,746. The town is located on the international road from Polotsk to Vilniu ...
about her life and her attitude toward Lukashenko. Tikhanovsky's YouTube channel also features video interviews with opposition politicians and businessmen. On trips around Belarus, Sergei Tikhanovsky was constantly followed by cars with people monitoring him, presumably employees of the Belarusian special services. By May 2020, Tikhanovsky's YouTube channel had garnered 140,000 subscribers; by mid-July 2020, it had reached 243,000 subscribers, more than 12 times the number of subscribers to the state-run Belarus 24 satellite channel. Independent anti-Lukashenko bloggers (including Tikhanovsky) were seen by the government as a major threat to its rule, as a media alternative to television, newspapers, and radio, which are principally controlled by the Government, and many were targeted by the authorities.Belarus' Bloggers: A 'Bigger Threat' Than Political Parties For President Lukashenka?
Current Time TV Current Time TV () is a Russian-language television channel with editorial office in Prague, created by the US organisations Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America. Mission The channel – via RFE/RL – is funded throug ...
(14 July 2020).


Political activity


Anti-parade in Babruysk

On 9 May 2020, dozens of supporters of Sergei Tikhanovsky held an "Anti-parade" in
Babruysk Babruysk (, ) or Bobruysk (, ; , ) is a city in Mogilev Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Babruysk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. It is situated on the Berezina, Berezina River. Bab ...
to express their disagreement with the
Victory Day Parade Victory Day (9 May), Victory Day parades () are common military parades that are held on 9 May in some Post-Soviet states, post-Soviet nations, primarily Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Ukraine. They are usually held to honor the traditional Vic ...
in
Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...
during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. The protest parade took the form of a protest motor rally. Police detained about 15 people after the motor rally. Tikhanovsky was detained.


2020 election and protests

On 7 May 2020, Sergei Tikhanovsky announced on his YouTube channel that he intended to become a candidate for
President of Belarus The president of the Republic of Belarus is the head of state of Belarus. The office was created in 1994 with the passing of the Constitution of Belarus by the Supreme Council of Belarus, Supreme Council. This replaced the office of Supreme_Counc ...
, challenging
Alexander Lukashenko Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (also transliterated as Alyaksandr Ryhoravich Lukashenka; born 30 August 1954) is a Belarusian politician who has been the first and only president of Belarus since the office's establishment in 1994, making hi ...
and his decades long rule. Prior to this event, on 6 May, he was detained by the Belarusian militsiya (police) in the vicinity of
Mogilev Mogilev (; , ), also transliterated as Mahilyow (, ), is a city in eastern Belarus. It is located on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, about from the Belarus–Russia border, border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and from Bryansk Oblast. As of 2024, ...
; the police threatened to break the glass of Tikhanovsky's car, and failed to present a certificate to confirm that they were police officers. Prior to that, a crowd of Tikhanovsky's supporters in Mogilev released a member of Tikhanovsky's team from the police. A day later, allies of Tikhanovsky were arrested, including a blogger from
Slutsk Slutsk is a town in Minsk Region, in central Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Slutsk District, and is located on the Sluch (Belarus), Sluch River south of the capital Minsk. As of 2025, it has a population of 59,450. Geography ...
, Uladzimier Niaronski.New detentions of blogger Tsihanouski's supporters took place in different cities of the country
//
Viasna Human Rights Centre The Viasna Human Rights Centre () is a human rights in Belarus, human rights organization based in Minsk, Belarus. The organization aims to provide financial and legal assistance to political prisoners and their families, and was founded in 1996 ...
The vans of Tikhanovsky's team including Niaronski were chased by road police and two vans with members of the
AMAP AutoNavi Software Co., Ltd. () is a Chinese web mapping, navigation and location-based services provider, founded in 2001. One of its subsidiary companies, Beijing Mapabc Co. Ltd. (www.mapabc.com), is a map website in China. AutoNavi was acquire ...
special police forces. After the arrests, Tikhanovsky's supporters held a series of protests throughout Belarus. According to the
Radio Liberty Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...
, 20 to 30 people were detained in
Gomel Gomel (, ) or Homyel (, ) is a city in south-eastern Belarus. It serves as the administrative centre of Gomel Region and Gomel District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it is the List of cities and largest ...
, the home town of Tikhanovsky.
Viasna Human Rights Centre The Viasna Human Rights Centre () is a human rights in Belarus, human rights organization based in Minsk, Belarus. The organization aims to provide financial and legal assistance to political prisoners and their families, and was founded in 1996 ...
reports that at least 19 people who supported Tikhanovsky were brutally detained in
Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...
. After his arrest, Tikhanovsky was held at a temporary detention center in Gomel, nominally due to participation in the rally in Minsk on 19 December 2019 against the integration of Belarus with Russia. He was ultimately sentenced to 15 days' imprisonment: 15 days of arrest for "participating in an unauthorized protest action" in December 2019, and 30 days for meeting subscribers to his YouTube channel in
Orsha Orsha (; , ; ) is a city in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the fork of the Dnieper, Dnieper River and Arshytsa River, and it serves as the administrative center of Orsha District. As of 2025, it has a population of 101,662. History ...
and Brest. After his detention, Tikhanovsky announced on his YouTube channel that he intended to run for president of Belarus. However, the Central Election Commission of Belarus refused to register the initiative group to nominate him. After the election commission refused to register Tikhanovsky's candidacy, his wife
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya Sviatlana Hieorhiyeuna Tsikhanouskaya (; born 11 September 1982) is a Belarusian political activist. After standing as a candidate in the 2020 presidential election against the president Alexander Lukashenko, she has led the political opposit ...
(Svetlana Tikhanovskaya), decided to run herself. The initiative group of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was successfully registered by the Central Election Commission of Belarus. Sergei Tikhanovsky became the head of the initiative group to collect signatures for Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's participation in the
presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The p ...
. On 20 May, Tikhanovsky was released from detention. Tikhanovsky explained that pressure from activist supporters helped to achieve his release. In an interview with him after the release, ''
Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave"), commonly shortened to DW (), is a German state-funded television network, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the Federal Government of Germany. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite tele ...
'' drew parallels between Tikhanovsky and both the Russian opposition leader
Alexei Navalny Alexei Anatolyevich Navalny (, ; 4 June 197616 February 2024) was a Russian Opposition to Vladimir Putin in Russia, opposition leader, anti-corruption in Russia, corruption activist and political prisoner. He founded the Anti-Corruption Found ...
and the Ukrainian actor
Volodymyr Zelensky Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...
, who became the president of
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
.
RTVI RTVI is a global Russian-speaking multi-platform media, which includes a news website (about 4 million users per month) and other digital platforms (2.7 million subscribers): 6 YouTube channels, 2 Telegram channels and accounts in all major soc ...
also drew a parallel between Tikhanovsky and Navalny. Sergei Tikhanovsky began his trips around the country with pickets to collect signatures for Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Tikhanovsky's pickets were very popular and gathered thousands of people. The queue to the picket in Minsk near Kamarouski market was half a mile. Several thousand people also attended the picket of Tikhanovsky in Gomel. Sergei Tikhanovsky announced that he was collecting signatures for fair elections in Belarus, without falsifications. Sergei Tikhanovsky actively used the slogan "Stop, cockroach!" in his campaign, which was chanted by his supporters. The symbol of the Tikhanovsky's campaign was the
slipper Slippers are a type of shoes falling under the broader category of light footwear, that are easy to put on and off and are intended to be worn indoors, particularly at home. They provide comfort and protection for the feet when walking indoors. ...
. The slogan "Stop, cockroach!" refers to the fairy tale "Cockroach" by Soviet poet Korney Chukovsky about how the "mustached cockroach" intimidated all the animals and became their ruler, referring here to President Lukashenko. Slippers are supposedly a traditional means of pest control.
Euronews Euronews (stylised in lowercase) is a pan-European television news broadcasting, news network, headquartered in Lyon, France. It is a provider of livestreamed news, which can be viewed in Europe and North Africa via satellite, and in most of the ...
journalists referred to the events in Belarus as a "Slippers Revolution," quoting Belarusian activist
Franak Viačorka Francišak Valancinavič (Franak) Viačorka (Viacorka) (, , ''Frantishek Valentinovich Vechyorko'', born 26 March 1988) is a politician and journalist from Belarus, President of the Digital Communication Network and non-resident fellow at the Atl ...
using this phrase.


Imprisonment and trial

On 29 May 2020, Tikhanovsky and at least eight other men were arrested in the city of
Grodno Grodno, or Hrodna, is a city in western Belarus. It is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. The city is located on the Neman, Neman River, from Minsk, about from the Belarus–Poland border, border with Poland, and from the Belarus–Lithua ...
, in northwestern Belarus, while collecting signatures for Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's presidential candidacy, and charged with "organization or preparation for a grave breach of public order."Belarus: Growing Crackdown on Human Rights Ahead of Presidential Election
Amnesty International (29 June 2020).

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (15 June 2020).
Footage and witness accounts show that Tikhanovsky was detained following an incident after a woman aggressively followed and touched Tikhanovsky in an apparently deliberate attempted provocation; two police officers then "joined the woman in her pursuit of Sergei Tikhanovsky" and a scuffle with police ensued. According to the
Viasna Human Rights Centre The Viasna Human Rights Centre () is a human rights in Belarus, human rights organization based in Minsk, Belarus. The organization aims to provide financial and legal assistance to political prisoners and their families, and was founded in 1996 ...
, at least 13 people were detained, including two members of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's initiative group and three aides to Sergei Tikhanovsky. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus said that they had opened a criminal case for supposed "violence against police officers." Although Belarusian officials claimed that police were injured, there is no evidence in video footage of any injury. In response to Tikhanovsky's detention on 29 May 2020, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya demanded the immediate release of her husband, condemning "the 'dirty' provocation" against him; declaring that "the picket was legal and peaceful in nature; and calling the arrest a politically motivated violation of her constitutional rights."
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...
and
Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...
have condemned the Belarusian authorities' arrests of Tikhanovsky and the broader crackdown by Belarusian authorities on opposition figures, journalists, and bloggers ahead of the 2020 presidential election, including
arbitrary arrest and detention Arbitrary arrest and detention is the arrest and detention of an individual in a case in which there is no likelihood or evidence that they committed a crime against legal statute, or in which there has been no proper due process of law or order. ...
and pretextual criminal charges. Amnesty stated that "The arrest and prosecution of Sergei Tikhanovsky and others detained alongside him are arbitrary, unwarranted and politically motivated" and considers the group to be "
prisoners of conscience A prisoner of conscience (POC) is anyone imprisoned because of their race, sexual orientation, religion, or political views. The term also refers to those who have been imprisoned or persecuted for the nonviolent expression of their conscienti ...
, as they are detained solely for peacefully exercising their human rights." On 29 September 2020, Tikhanovsky's personal
Telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas pi ...
account noted that his prison sentence in
Zhodzina Zhodzina or Zhodino is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus, located north-east of Minsk. The city covers an area of . In 2021, its population was 65,451. As of 2025, it has a population of 63,354. History The settlement is first mentioned in 1688, ...
had been extended by two more months. The decision was rendered without a hearing. On 10 October 2020, Lukashenko spoke with the imprisoned Tikhanovsky and fellow candidate
Viktar Babaryka Viktar Dzmitryevich Babaryka ( or Viktor Dmitryevich Babariko; born 9 November 1963) is a Belarusian banker, philanthropist, public and opposition political figure who intended to become a candidate in the 2020 Belarusian presidential election ...
in a four-hour meeting concerning changes to the Constitution. At that time, Tikhanovsky and Babaryka remained in custody. On 30 November, it became known that Tikhanovsky's detention was extended for another 3 months. He was accused of a serious crime that carried a sentence of up to 12 years. Pending his conviction, he could be held in custody for up to 18 months. On 11 March 2021, the Investigative Committee completed its criminal case investigation against Tikhanovsky, accusing him of using his blog to advocate for the violent overthrow of the Belarusian government. He faced four criminal charges with a sentence of up to 15 years. His trial began in Minsk on 24 June and he was found guilty. In December 2021, Tikhanovsky was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Five supporters (including Ihar Losik and
Mikola Statkevich Mikola Viktaravich Statkevich (, ; born 12 August 1956 – disappeared 9 February 2023) is a Belarusian lieutenant colonel, politician, and opposition leader who was a presidential candidate at the 2010 Belarusian presidential election. Sin ...
) were jailed for 14 to 16 years.


Release

On 21 June 2025, Tikhanovsky was released from prison after US representative
Keith Kellogg Joseph Keith Kellogg Jr. (born May 12, 1944) is an American diplomat and retired Lieutenant general (United States), lieutenant general in the United States Army. He previously served as the national security advisor to Vice President Mike Penc ...
's visit to Belarus, along with 13 other political prisoners. All were transported to Lithuania, where they were receiving care. In a press conference held the following day, Tsikhanouski called on US President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
to request that all political prisoners in Belarus are released. He said that he had been completely isolated for five years: "You don't even get letters, not a single call. For five years, I couldn't even go to confession with a priest. No letters, no calls, no priest, no lawyer".


Recognition and awards

In December 2020, Tikhanovsky was named among the representatives of the democratic
Belarusian opposition The Belarusian opposition consists of groups and individuals in Belarus seeking to challenge, from 1988 to 1991, the authorities of Soviet Belarus, and since 1995, the leader of the country Alexander Lukashenko (allied with Vladimir Putin), whom ...
, honored with the
Sakharov Prize The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, commonly known as the Sakharov Prize, is an honorary award for individuals or groups who have dedicated their lives to the defence of human rights and freedom of thought. Named after Russian scienti ...
by the
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
.


Footnotes


References


External links

*
Facebook page of Sergei Tikhanovsky
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tikhanovsky, Sergei 1978 births Living people 21st-century Belarusian people Francysk Skaryna Homyel State University alumni News YouTubers People from Gomel Belarusian YouTubers Belarusian bloggers Belarusian politicians Belarusian dissidents Businesspeople from Minsk People from Horki Political prisoners in Belarus Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Belarus Political prisoners according to Viasna Human Rights Centre Belarusian democracy activists