About

Since 2008 Belarus Digest has been providing a non-partisan analysis of Belarus-related events written by Belarusians specifically for an English-language readership. It is a project of Ostrogorski Centre, a think tank established by Western-educated Belarusians based in Belarus and the European Union.

Belarus regime’s conduct and poor reputation provide a fertile ground for all kinds of myths and speculations. Since 2008, Belarus Digest tries to de-mystify Belarus and write about what is actually going on in the country.

The project’s contributors regularly appear as commentators on Belarus-related topics for leading international media such as BBC, AlJazeera, Radio Liberty and others. If you wish to contact us please email beldigest@gmail.com

The team of regular Belarus Digest contributors included (their contact details are not up to date):

https://belarusdigest.com/about/

Yarik Kryvoi is the founder and the Editor-in-Chief of Belarus Digest. A Harvard Law School grad, Yarik has been working for international law firms and taught law in the United Kingdom, Russia, Belarus and the United States for over ten years. He is originally from Minsk, Belarus and is currently works as a legal academic in London. His web site is kryvoi.net.

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Siarhei Bohdan is an associate analyst at the Ostrogorski Centre. He defended his doctoral thesis in Political Science at the Freie Universität Berlin in Germany and is also an alumnus of Belarus State University and European Humanities University in Lithuania. In 1999-2011, he worked with Nasha Niva, a Belarusian independent weekly. Siarhei comes from Maladechna, Belarus.

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Arseni Sivitski is the director of Minsk-based Centre for Strategic and Foreign Policy Studies. Arseni has MA in Philosophy and is doing his PhD thesis in Social Philosophy. He also works as junior research fellow at the Institute of Philosophy of Belarusian National Academy of Science. He is a military officer in reserve and a member of the Military-Scientific Society under the Central Officers’ Club of the Belarusian Armed Forces. Arseni comes from Minsk, Belarus.

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Dzmitry Mitskevich is an analyst of Belarus Security Blog. He also edits 'Varta', the Belarusian magazine on national security. Originally from Mazyr, he currently lives in Minsk. His fields of interests include information warfare, propaganda, international politics and fighting terrorism.

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Ryhor Astapenia is an associate analyst at the Ostrogorski Centre. He also edits the Belarusian internet magazine Idea. Ryhor is currently working on his PhD at the University of Warsaw and advises civil society organisations in Belarus. He is originally from Salihorsk, Belarus.

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Olga Hryniuk is the Ostrogorski Centre coordinator in Belarus. She holds degrees from Coventry University and the European Humanities University. She is based in Minsk, Belarus.

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Lizaveta Kasmach holds a PhD in History from the University of Alberta in Canada. Her areas of specialisation include Belarusian history of the 20th century, Soviet and post-Soviet history, and nationalism. She holds an MA degree in History and Politics from the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Germany and a BA degree in Translation Studies from the Minsk State Linguistic University. Originally Lizaveta is from Maladziečna, Belarus.

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Alesia Rudnik – is a PhD candidate in political science at Karlstad University (Sweden) and a research fellow at the Belarusian think-tank 'Center for new ideas'. Alesia has published her analyses for media and analytical editions based in Belarus, Sweden, Poland, Germany, the UK, USA. Her academic research is focused on digitalization of politics in autocracies and its effects on democratization including political mobilization via social networking platforms. Education: ongoing PhD education (Karlstad University, Sweden), MA political science (Stockholm University, Sweden), MA Journalism (Sodertorn University, Sweden), BA political science and European research (European Humanities University, Lithuania).

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Volha Charnysh is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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Paula Borowska is currently completing a PhD on religion and social capital at University College London. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Research and Studies on Eastern Europe from the University of Bologna.

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Igar Gubarevich is a senior analyst of the Ostrogorski Centre based in Minsk. He grew up in Bielaaziorsk in Brest region and graduated with honours from the Minsk State Institute of Foreign Languages. In 1993 – 2006, Igar worked in various diplomatic positions at the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, including postings in New York and Paris.

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Belarus Digest also welcomes contributions from its former contributors and new authors. The editors do not necessarily share the same opinion as Belarus Digest authors.

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