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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Belarus has formally protested to Poland over plans for a demonstration in Warsaw this weekend organised by exiled opponents of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Minsk says it is a “destructive event” that will “directly harm Belarusian-Polish relations” and warns that it may “take countermeasures”.
On Saturday, opponents of the Lukashenko regime will gather in the Polish capital for a “Freedom March” to mark the fifth anniversary of the Belarusian presidential election at which Lukashenko, who has ruled the country since 1994, was declared to have won a sixth term.
Widespread evidence of vote-rigging prompted mass protests against his government. Amid a brutal crackdown by the authorities, many opposition leaders and regular Belarusians fled the country, often settling in neighbouring Poland.
On both Saturday and Sunday, a conference titled “New Belarus” will be held at the University of Warsaw featuring leading exiled opposition figures, including 2020 presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
This weekend, Belarusians gather in Warsaw for our most important event—the New Belarus Conference. A space for open dialogue, bold ideas & responsible decisions.
Join us for the Solidarity March to mark 5 years since our peaceful uprising on August 9.https://t.co/3tIRsiGm6o pic.twitter.com/f8TFHNa8Tr
— Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (@Tsihanouskaya) August 5, 2025
On Tuesday, the Belarusian foreign ministry issued a statement condemning the planned events in Warsaw, which it said have “the aim of causing harm to the Republic of Belarus”.
“The organisers and active participants are representatives of the Belarusian diaspora, supported by official Warsaw [sic] and known for their destructive and provocative activities,” continued the statement. “Such hostile actions…directly harm Belarusian-Polish relations.”
The ministry noted that it had summoned Poland’s chargé d’affaires, Krzysztof Ożanna, and handed him a protest note. It added that it “will continue to closely monitor the situation, reserving the right to take necessary countermeasures in response to any provocative actions”.
Separately on Tuesday, the Investigative Committee of Belarus, a state body, announced that it had identified 207 Belarusians – based in Poland, the US, Lithuania, Canada and the UK – who have participated in street protests abroad and would proceed with searches and seizure of their property in Belarus.
It accused them of involvement in “criminal activities” organised by “extremist groups and terrorist organisations” and designed to “discredit the Republic of Belarus in the international arena” and bring about “violent change of the constitutional order”.
Poland’s government has not yet commented on the latest developments. However, it has regularly criticised Minsk over its persecution of political opponents, its engineering of a migration crisis on the Polish border, and its close relations with Russia.
Białoruś będzie karała za manifestowanie w Polsce. Zapowiedź reżimu Łukaszenki padła przed piątą rocznicą białoruskiej rewolucji.
Białoruski Komitet Śledczy poinformował, że ustalił tożsamość 207 uczestników akcji ulicznych za granicą – białoruskich emigrantów mieszkających w… pic.twitter.com/fh4LmewiOB
— Biełsat (@Bielsat_pl) August 5, 2025
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Main image credit: Jakub Wlodek / Agencja Wyborcza.pl
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
