Belarus, landlocked country of eastern Europe. Until it became independent in 1991, Belarus, formerly known as Belorussia or White Russia, was the smallest of the three Slavic republics included in the Soviet Union (the larger two being Russia and Ukraine).
These new Russian immigrants had mostly been prominent citizens of the Empire—aristocrats, professionals, and former imperial officials—and were called “White Russians” because of their opposition to the “red” Soviet state.
Many variants of the cocktail exist, such as a mudslide, Bolshevik, or blonde Russian (made with Irish cream), an Anna Kournikova (named after the tennis player, made with skimmed milk, i.e. a "skinny" white Russian), a white Cuban (made with rum instead of vodka), a black Russian (vodka and coffee liqueur), or a dirty ...
The word Belarus means white Russians. The Scandinavians who moved in the east were called Rus and from them came the word Russia. During the Mongol era, the Russians were classified into three different groups: Belarussians (white Russians), little Russians, and great Russians.
Occupied by Nazi Germany, Belarus was retaken by Stalin's Russia in 1944 and remained under Soviet control until declaring its sovereignty on July 27, 1990 and independence from the Soviet Union on August 25, 1991.
The phrase White Russia is the literal translation of the word Belarus (Russian: белый – white, Русь – the Rus). In earlier times the countries belonging to the Rus were given many epithets or qualifying adjectives.
Belarus, with a GNI per capita of $6,330, finds itself among the poorest countries in Europe. Despite its rich resources, the nation faces economic challenges. The GDP per capita is $6,411.23, and the total GDP stands at 60 billion.
A few days into the war, Belarus scrapped its neutral status, giving it legal cover to host Russian troops and weapons. In March 2023, Putin said Russia would station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, while retaining control of them. Three months later he said the first had been delivered.
The use of Byelorussian SSR and any abbreviations thereof were allowed from 1991 to 1993. Conservative forces in the newly independent Belarus did not support the name change and opposed its inclusion in the 1991 draft of the Constitution of Belarus. Accordingly, the name Byelorussia was replaced by Belarus in English.
Orthodox is the principal religion of Belarus. There are over 1000 Orthodox churches in Belarus and an increasing number of cloisters are being revived. Many of the country's most famous monuments and architectural attractions are inspired by the Orthodox tradition.
Belarus borders on Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, all members of the western NATO military alliance, ensuring its strategic importance for Moscow. It's also part of the shortest route between Russia's mainland and Kaliningrad, an isolated Russian-held territory further west on the Baltic Sea.
FCDO advises against all travel to Belarus
There is some risk that direct conflict linked to the war in Ukraine may spread to Belarus. If conflict starts, FCDO 's ability to offer consular assistance will be severely limited. Routes out of the country are limited, particularly by air.
The Black Russian is made with vodka and coffee liqueur, while the White Russian adds cream to the mix. Both cocktails gained popularity in the United States during the 1960s, and the White Russian was further popularized by the film “The Big Lebowski.”
White Russian émigrés were Russians who emigrated from the territory of the former Russian Empire in the wake of the Russian Revolution (1917) and Russian Civil War (1917–1923), and who were in opposition to the revolutionary Bolshevik communist Russian political climate.
In 1949, the story goes that Tops created the Black Russian—a White Russian sans cream—at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels to honor Perle Mesta, then U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg. Somewhere in the 1950s, when sweet, milky drinks were in their heyday, the cream was added and the White Russian was born.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine that started in late February 2022, more than 300,000 Russian citizens and residents are estimated to have left Russia by mid-March 2022, at least 500,000 by the end of August 2022, and an additional 400,000 by early October, for a total of approximately 900,000.
Until it became independent in 1991, Belarus, formerly known as Belorussia or White Russia, was the smallest of the three Slavic republics included in the Soviet Union (the larger two being Russia and Ukraine).
In January 1919, a part of Belarus under Bolshevik Russian control was declared the Socialist Soviet Republic of Byelorussia (SSRB) for just two months, but then merged with the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (LSSR) to form the Socialist Soviet Republic of Lithuania and Belorussia (SSR LiB), which lost control of ...
The term was adopted in the 17th century by the Tsardom of Russia to refer to the Cossack Hetmanate of Left-bank Ukraine, when the latter fell under Russian protection after the Treaty of Pereyaslav (1654).
Russian is one of the two official languages of Belarus (the other being Belarusian). Being dominant in the media, education and other areas of public life, Russian is de facto the main language of the country.
The military commandants of the Armed Forces of Belarus are regional administrations tasked with overseeing Belarusian regiments in the commandant's territory. Units are assigned to a specific commandant based on their location. There are 6 military commandants in the Belarusian Armed Forces.
Belarus, which since 2023 again claims to host Russian nuclear weapons, also had single warhead missiles stationed on its territory into the 1990s, having been a constituent of the Soviet Union.
Luxembourg, the richest country in Europe
Luxembourg has a per capita GDP of $128,820 (IMF, 2023), making it the wealthiest country in Europe. The country is famous for its strong financial sector. Many international banks and investment firms are based in the capital of Luxembourg.
Belarus is the world's 74th-largest economy by GDP. $79.7 billion (nominal, 2022 est.) $201.967 billion (PPP, 2022 est.)