Bot Campaigns Intensify Against Belarusian Opposition Leader After Warsaw Move

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s recent relocation from Vilnius to Warsaw has triggered an unprecedented surge in coordinated bot activity aimed at discrediting the Belarusian opposition leader, according to digital media analysis.

Security experts have identified multiple new narratives emerging alongside established disinformation campaigns, suggesting a strategic escalation in efforts to undermine her legitimacy and international standing.

“Lukashenka’s supporters are clearly annoyed by the authority of the woman who defeated their leader in the 2020 presidential elections,” noted one media monitoring specialist. “The regime seems particularly bothered by her continued advocacy for political prisoners in Belarus, especially her practice of carrying portraits of detained Belarusians during high-level diplomatic meetings.”

One prominent bot-driven narrative attempts to mock Tsikhanouskaya’s advocacy for political prisoners. Thousands of seemingly coordinated accounts have posted nearly identical messages questioning whose portraits she carries, with replies from other suspected bot accounts suggesting she “carries whoever her masters give her” or labeling her derisively as a “photo-carrier.”

Some accounts have escalated to more disturbing territory, suggesting she belongs in “a mental hospital” or prison – rhetoric that mirrors official Belarusian state propaganda.

Another concerning trend targets Tsikhanouskaya’s security arrangements. Bot networks have questioned why she requires protection, with coordinated responses implying she needs guards due to “dissatisfied clients” or “associates from whom she stole money” – unfounded accusations that security analysts worry could potentially endanger her safety.

Financial disinformation represents a third major theme, with numerous accounts pushing narratives about alleged foreign funding. These messages appear designed to trigger resentment among European taxpayers, including Belarusian refugees in EU countries. One typical message claimed: “The European Union and America allocated $3.8 billion to overthrow the President of Belarus” – a figure that independent fact-checkers have repeatedly debunked.

The legitimacy attacks continue with coordinated questioning of Tsikhanouskaya’s political status. Bot networks have flooded social media with variations of “who elected her?” and “what authority does she have?” – deliberately ignoring the well-documented evidence from the 2020 election.

Digital security experts note these bot campaigns typically intensify during moments of political significance, suggesting Tsikhanouskaya’s move to Warsaw – which places her closer to key European decision-makers – has triggered alarm within the Lukashenka regime.

The latest wave of attacks also includes explicit threats of imprisonment, with bots suggesting specific Belarusian detention facilities where she should be sent. This coincides with a new narrative falsely claiming she didn’t voluntarily relocate but was “expelled” from Lithuania for “being useless.”

Tsikhanouskaya entered politics unexpectedly in 2020 after her husband, a popular blogger, was imprisoned by Lukashenka’s regime. Her candidacy galvanized unprecedented public support, drawing the largest campaign rallies in Belarus’s modern history. Independent poll monitors confirmed she won by a substantial margin where votes were transparently counted.

After being forced to flee Belarus following the disputed election, Tsikhanouskaya’s situation sparked massive protests that drew hundreds of thousands of Belarusians to the streets. The regime responded with sweeping repression, resulting in tens of thousands of politically motivated prosecutions and forcing hundreds of thousands of citizens into exile.

Digital rights organizations have called on social media platforms to address the coordinated inauthentic behavior targeting Tsikhanouskaya, noting that such campaigns often precede intensified offline persecution of opposition figures.