Lithuanian Experience Valuable For Belarusians
1- 16.02.2026, 9:17
- 2,640
Which allows to lead the country to independence and democracy.
Lukashenka and his supporters do not tire of fighting with political opponents who have left the country, calling them "fugitives". Their efforts are not irrational at all. There have been many examples in history when the diaspora helped to radically change the course of the country. One of them is our neighbor, which celebrates the Day of Restoration of the Lithuanian State on February 16, writes "Salidarnasts".
In 1918, Lithuanians successfully used the window of opportunity. Independence had to be fought for. And even when the right to statehood was won, it turned out to be only a short respite before new trials.
After the occupation by the Soviet Union in 1940, as well as when the Soviets returned at the end of World War II, tens of thousands of Lithuanians fled to Western countries, according to the most conservative estimates. A significant part of them were intellectuals.
In the West, Lithuanians not only preserved the memory of their country's independence, but also created an alternative to the "Soviet Baltic". Both culturally and politically.
Diaspora succeeded in getting both Europe and the United States to consider the occupation of Lithuania illegal. In the mid-1940s, it might have looked like a formality. The USSR had de facto control over all of Eastern Europe, and this "union" of rapist and victim seemed truly "unbreakable."
But Lithuanian patriots did not fold their arms. Their marathon to independence stretched for decades.
The main role was played by those in Lithuania. They quietly and painstakingly prepared the soil, not knowing whether they were destined to see sprouts. The diaspora, in turn, often acted openly, which could not afford people who were under the KGB's crosshairs.
Faith and determination work wonders. At the end of the twentieth century, Lithuania got a new chance and left the USSR.
As a result, many emigrants and their children returned to their homeland. And not just returned, but brought with them experience and ideas that helped to transform the country (in politics, economy, education, etc.).
Not everything was realized quickly and effectively. Many people, including representatives of the old nomenclature, were sometimes jealous of the Diaspora representatives' proposals. Nevertheless, Lithuanians twice elected as president Valdas Adamkus, an immigrant who was forced to flee the country in 1944.
In the end, Lithuanians had the wisdom to unite, not to divide into "locals" and "newcomers". It was the joint effort that made it possible to accomplish much. Independent Lithuania chose democracy, integration into the European Union and NATO, and maximum distance from Russia.
History has shown that there was no time for hesitation. In the 1990s Lithuania managed to seize the historical chance while Russia, imperial in its centuries-old essence, was weakened. Moscow is still sinking its teeth into Vilnius, but now it is unlikely to try to repeat the scenario of 1940.
Today in Belarus everything is rolled under asphalt, but the struggle for minds continues. There are things that for the sake of a better future can be done only inside the country, and things that can be done only from outside.
The example of Lithuanians demonstrates that the most effective option is cooperation. Belarusian patriots, wherever they are, have common values: independence and democracy. To make them a reality, it is necessary to use the available opportunities effectively, rather than wasting time searching for the things that separate us.
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