Belarus Digest - News and Analysis of Belarusian Politics, Economy, Human Rights and Myths

Does Lukashenka have the support of the average Belarusian?

In 1994 Alyaksandr Lukashenka unexpectedly won the first Belarusian elections. Since that time, measuring his popularly is difficult for two reasons. First, since 1994 elections have no longer been free and fair. Second, most of the population has no access to independent media.

Does Belarus have low unemployment?

The Belarusian authorities proudly report that the level of unemployment in Belarus is around 1%. This figure, however, does not reflect reality. The registration process for unemployment benefits is cumbersome, and the unemployed are required to perform ‘public works’ in order to...

Is Healthcare in Belarus Free?

Officially health care is free in Belarus. However, an ordinary Belarusian very often cannot obtain even basic services free of charge. There are some segments of the health care system where people do not have to pay. That includes staying in a shared hospital room, birth delivery,...

Are Belarusians fundamentally rural Orthodox Christians?

The vast majority of the Belarusian population is urban - only 25 percent live in rural areas.

Most residents of Belarus are not religious. Although the majority would say they are Christian Orthodox, they usually neither go to the church nor observe religious rites. As...

Is Belarus a dictatorship where all foreigners are followed by state security?

Belarus requires visas for nationals of most Western countries. Visas are not cheap, but foreigners can easily travel to Belarus and within Belarus. Belarus is a safe place to travel and people are generally very friendly to Westerners.

The pervasiveness and abilities of Belarusian...

Does Belarus look like a run-down Soviet province?

More than two thirds of the Belarusian people live in cities. Just a fraction of the population is employed in agriculture. For comparison, 67% of Lithuanians and 73% of Russians live in urban areas. Agriculture had dominated the economy of Belarus for a long time, but since the mid-20th century...

Are there foreign companies working in Belarus?

Although many imagine Belarus as a mini-Soviet Union, Belarusian cities, and particularly Minsk, are very similar to other European capitals. Western restaurants and hotel and apparel chains are not as abundant as in the neighboring countries, but still present. A number of foreign companies,...

Myths about Belarus