Tsikhanovski’s arrest provoked widespread protests in Belarus, which didn’t, however, result in the ouster of its strongman leader, Lukashenko. The opposition leader’s wife, Tsikhanouskaya, was forced into exile to Lithuania after Lukashenko declared himself the winner in the contested 2020 elections.
Russian media outlet RBC named journalist Igor Karney and Minsk academic Natalia Dulina among the other freed prisoners.
Kellogg’s trip to Belarus was organized with the aim of freeing prisoners, as well as nudging the country closer to the West in a bid to improve the atmosphere to one that is more conducive for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
