Bespalov's Cry from the Heart about Tikhanovsky: He's turning into Lukashenko 2.0, a Trojan Horse

On the evening of December 29, Bespalov published a post on Facebook where he spoke about the difficulties of working with Tikhanovsky. He explained to "Nasha Niva" how he decided to make that publication, and also shared details of the story.

Sergei Bespalov: I felt bad when Sergei [Tikhanovsky] started writing to me and blackmailing me, it just spun me around. And when he later called and started pouring dirt on me - like, scum, p***r - then I felt very bad. Like, why did I get involved in all this?

I took some time to rethink it all and later wrote that post. When I was writing it, I had two options: either hide all this dirt under the rug and remain silent, or tell the truth. I chose the second option.

"It's unacceptable to treat people like that"

"Nasha Niva": How did you meet Sergei Tikhanovsky?

SB: In the Belarusian House [in Warsaw]. I saw that he was having difficulty with organizing [events], and I wrote to Alexander Kabanov, and also contacted the owner of the house, Ales Zarembyuk. I wrote - like, Seryoga came out, we need to organize a meeting with bloggers and the media. We met at that meeting.

"NN": What impression did it leave?

SB: Twofold. I saw that Seryoga is a charismatic person, but at the same time he started to press on: like, let's create some kind of community, I will give you information, and you will publish it.

Павялічыць

"NN": Were there any red flags for you at that time in his behavior?

SB: He always had some kind of boorish behavior. He treats people in such a way that it is normal for him to use a person and throw them away. For example, he said that we need to look for an SMM specialist, but there should be many of them, because, they say, we'll play with one or two and throw them away. I thought then - the attitude towards people is like dirt.

I helped him find an operator. Two weeks later, that operator told me that he could no longer work with Tikhanovsky: he said that he was just a crazy person, he didn't know what he wanted, it was difficult to work with him and he was pouring dirt on everyone.

At that moment, he wasn't swearing yet, but now he's switching to swearing. I thought that he would somehow develop and find common ground with people, but he is evolving into a worse state since his release. In fact, he is turning into Lukashenko 2.0.

"NN": How else is this expressed?

SB: He doesn't want to listen to anyone. You tell him something, he tells you - shut up, I don't want to talk to you! And 10 minutes later he asks some question… He talks like that with many people, not only with me, and I think it's unacceptable to treat people like that.

"NN": How did your cooperation with him develop?

SB: It took place mostly at a distance. I didn't meet him in real life that much, and all these meetings were very strange - in the Belarusian House and when he returned from America. We mostly talked to him through a signal. He could call me at three in the morning - like, hi, I'm in America, do this and that, we need to update the site. Some strange advice.

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Although I was a press secretary, my functions were constantly changing. I could also take care of the website, and go for aprons when he was cooking cutlets at events.

"I have a feeling that he is being used for their own purposes - both Prokopyev and other people"

"NN": You say Tikhanovsky uses people for his own purposes. What are his goals?

SB: His goals are what is useful for him at a certain moment. Now it's the USA, he wants to learn English and meet with Trump. He needs money, because America is not a cheap country: as far as I know, you only have to pay $2,500 for an apartment in Los Angeles.

His goals changed all the time. There was an idea to make five media channels, make films for Netflix, I don't remember everything anymore.

Now the American case is important to him. He sees that there is money there, he can build himself as a politician there. All the niches in Europe are taken, there are both Latushko and Tikhanovskaya, and he understands that he will not fit in here in any way. But in America, there is allegedly room for work, plus no one from Belarus works there. And there are also Russians there.

I don't understand who there is taking him seriously now. I talked to some [Belarusian] diasporas, they are also disappointed in him. And he said that Russians donate more to him.

"NN": Clarify about the film for Netflix - what is this story?

SB: At the beginning of our work, there was a moment when he said -

like, write to Netflix so that they make a film about me. He was going to buy cameras, order equipment, and a week later he seemed to have forgotten all about it.

Павялічыць

Later he decided to make films about diasporas - like, I will travel with a bus, as I traveled in Belarus, we will raise diasporas. And then: "No, this is nonsense, I will travel to politicians and talk live with Macron, Kaya Kallas and others." And later he decided that he needed to go to America and talk to Trump.

"NN": What is happening to Tikhanovsky, in your opinion?

SB: I think there are many things at once. The prison doesn't let him go, because he always wakes up at 5 o'clock, like in prison. In addition, he still has the same character as before. And he is also looking for himself and cannot find himself, he tries to take on different things. I think he should have sorted things out a bit, talked to people, but he doesn't want to listen to anyone. This is his problem, the same problem as Lukashenko.

He still doesn't know much about what has happened in the last five years, he doesn't know, for example, what happened to Sakhashchik. But he says that Prokopyev loves Belarus.

"NN": As his press secretary, you saw the level of attention to him - for example, the number of viewers on streams, the number of people at meetings. What was the dynamic there during these months?

SB: The dynamics are decreasing, interest in him is disappearing. At all the last meetings, he says the same thing - that he did not shake Lukashenko's hand and how hard it was in prison. This is a good story, and he tells it well, because at least he doesn't read from a piece of paper. This is not what Prokopyev or his new team gives him.

"NN": So, Sergei already has a new team in the USA?

SB: I wouldn't say that it's exactly a team. I have a feeling that he is being used for their own purposes - both Prokopyev and other people. Someone may really see potential in him. But I think that we need to work with him more, and when he shows his character, they will draw their conclusions. Although, perhaps Prokopyev has long-term plans for him.

Павялічыць

In my last conversation with him (Tikhanovsky. - "NN") he began to call many people scum. I say to him: "Listen, you have so many scum. And don't you think that Prokopyev will also be a scum?" He replied: "As long as he pays me money and listens to me, then not yet, but then, maybe, he will be."

"Prokopyev paid him for tickets to America, gave him about 5 thousand dollars, and Seryoga thought - well, great"

"NN": How did Sergei's attitude towards the Tikhanovskaya Office change?

SB: At first it was good. He said that they were great, they were doing a lot - like, everything is based on Sveta. But after the events in New York, I realized that he would fight with them and this was only the beginning.

I think Prokopyev played an important role here. It reminds me of one of the Star Wars episodes, where there was a senator Palpatine who stood over Luke Skywalker and told him that everything was bad. Therefore, Tikhanovsky is now fighting with the Office, and I think this will be for a long time.

"NN": Is he ready to fight against his own wife?

SB: I asked him about it. He replied: "No, I'm not fighting, my wife and I have love." It's the bad boyars - Franak [Vechorka], Denis [Kuchinsky] and others. I say to him: "You understand that if you go against the team, you go against Svetlana?" He replied that they had earned political capital on him - like, he suffered, they earned that capital on him and now they want to make him some kind of circus bear. He wants to be the boss, not just a mascot and a gentleman, he wants to lead.

Павялічыць

"NN": Where did the idea originally come from that Sergei should go to the USA?

SB: He caught fire, said that all the power was there, and decided to go scouting. Plus, when he was still in prison, sometime in 2021, he asked his friend to go to a fortune teller. And she predicted that he (Tikhanovsky. - "NN") would be in prison for another 3-4 years, and then he would live in the USA.

He is also grateful to Trump for the fact that Trump released him, and considers himself a Trumpist. Later, Prokopyev will prove to him that he is a Republican, a Trumpist, and he will believe in it.

"NN": When did Prokopyev appear in Sergei's life?

SB: When Prokopyev went on the air of "EuroRadio". Then he said that he knew how to help Sergei, that Sergei should go to American politicians. And he liked what Prokopyev was saying. He generally likes flattery, and Prokopyev took advantage of this.

They got in touch, and I myself helped them with this. Prokopyev told me - like, let Seryoga come, we will teach him English, we will box for three days, then we will rest for three days. Some strange things. Seryoga also liked that Prokopyev told him - he should be independent. I also held this view, but you shouldn't put out your own wife and put out the Office.

After that interview on "EuroRadio", Seryoga thought that Prokopyev was a cool guy, he needed to go to him. Prokopyev paid him for tickets to America, gave him about 5 thousand dollars, and Seryoga thought - well, great.

"NN": How did you react to Tikhanovsky's public conflict with his wife in New York?

SB: I wasn't there, because of the time difference I saw the video only in the morning. I looked at it and was surprised. This is not a worthy act of a gentleman who respects his wife, but I thought that for haters it would be a sign - in the opposition, people are not paid for, they have their own opinion. Although there were still those who decided that this was a staging.

Павялічыць

"NN": And then there was the story with the visa to go to Britain to receive the award.

SB: It was, maybe, even before New York. An employee of the Office wrote to me and said that we needed to get a visa quickly, and told me what to do. On September 19, I filled out that form, Sergei paid [for the visa]. Yes, the Office didn't help much, but they told me about the visa and how to get it. It only remained to wait for the date to submit fingerprints, there were free dates somewhere from September 26 to the end of October.

He then came to Warsaw for only two days to attend the conference, and then flew to the United States. He just didn't deal with the visa, the American case was more important to him. And later he remembered that he had paid money and needed to deal with the visa.

"NN": Why did this story become the last straw for you?

SB: Because I never liked blackmail, I didn't like commissioned letters.

On November 10, he invited me to the States for an event, bought tickets (on Facebook, Sergei Bespalov explained that the tickets were bought with money that Tikhanovsky owed him. - "NN"). And already on November 17, he throws me a text from another account about the visa story on my behalf: "I can't watch Sergei [Tikhanovsky] being made guilty again..."

I wrote to him that I would not post it: this is a direct attack [on the Office], I don't want to do that. I send him another post where I call this story a mistake in communication. He writes to me that there is no need to be afraid, and I answer - I don't want to get into this shit.

It seemed that the topic was closed. But then he writes to me that he is ready to cancel both tickets if I do not publish that post. I wrote to him that this was indecent, and he replies: "I don't trust you anymore. Vadim said that you can call him, and he will buy you new ones, and I will cancel these in a couple of hours. You have the text."

He wrote to me when 40 minutes, an hour and a half had passed. He writes: "I waited two hours and want to know your decision." And then a call where he pours dirt on me. You can withstand everything, but I think you can't tolerate this. I just felt that he wanted to use me, drain me and ruin my reputation.

"NN": For you, is this a story about Sergei in personal communication or about Sergei as a politician, an activist?

SB: I don't consider him a politician. He invented that he is a politician, but politicians don't communicate with people like that. I believe that politicians should talk and try to negotiate, and not pour dirt and try to use them.

This is his personal story, and he, unfortunately, is such a person. Perhaps in Moscow, where he worked in production, it is normal to talk like that, but we live in a Belarusian bubble, and here it is not normal. This needs to be stopped, I don't need a second Lukashenko. Then why is all this?

Павялічыць

"NN": You called your post about this story "Ashamed and painful". Summarizing - what are you ashamed of now and why is it painful?

SB: I'm ashamed that I supported such a person, and it hurts that he turned out to be such a person. It was unexpected for me. I thought that it could be fixed if we worked with this person, but in my case it didn't happen.

Unfortunately, Lukashenko and his special services were right when they released him, they calculated several steps ahead. For five years, they apparently studied him well and realized that this would be a Trojan horse. I'm ashamed that I got involved in this, and it hurts that I couldn't direct him to the right side.

"NN": When you call him a Trojan horse, do you mean that he is able to split the opposition?

SB: Yes. Probably, this is not his last step, in the hands of Vadim Prokopyev, he will continue to try to tilt the Office, plus he has hostility towards all Belarusian media, he only reads Americans. This is a war against all Belarusian democratic forces, because Prokopyev has hammered into his head that all Belarusian media is "Infopoint", and Belarusian democratic forces are nothing, some people on the leash of Franak. And it will get even worse.

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