"That's The Message For Lukashenko"

• 5.08.2026, 10:49

International justice may take action against the dictator.

Recently, the Office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the Prosecutor General of Ukraine to open a criminal case against Belarusian dictator Lukashenko.

In an interview with the website Charter97.org, Ukrainian political scientist and head of the “Penta” Center for Applied Political Studies Vladimir Fesenko expressed the view that Kyiv is sending a warning to the dictator:


— I would like to note that, from a purely political standpoint, in my view, at this moment, the purpose of this appeal to the Prosecutor General’s Office is to issue a warning to Lukashenko.

If Belarus gets drawn into the war against Ukraine—not indirectly, but directly, as part of the escalation of the war currently being planned by Putin—then Ukraine will regard Lukashenko as a war criminal. In other words, it’s a warning—like a yellow card in soccer. Right now, Lukashenko is hoping that as part of ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, sanctions against Russia—and, to some extent, against Belarus as well—will be lifted, at least partially.

This is what the closed-door negotiations with the Americans are about. Lukashenko wants something similar to happen in Europe as well. But if there is an ICC indictment or legal proceedings, what room would there be for leniency or the lifting of sanctions? It would be quite the opposite.

This is a message to Lukashenko, urging him not to get dragged into a war against Ukraine. And looking ahead, depending on the circumstances, I think the most likely scenario for charges against Lukashenko and corresponding legal proceedings would be an international tribunal.