Recently, provocative publications have appeared in the Russian media, primarily on Internet sites, about the alleged “illegal transfer of primordially Russian territories to the BSSR.”

The editors of SNplus asked to clarify the situation Leonida Spatkaya, a former border guard, reserve colonel, a man who has studied this topic in depth for many years. Based on historical facts and documents, avoiding assessments and comments, he told how and when the borders of Belarus changed.

The charter adopted by the BPR Rada on March 25, 1918 stated that “the Belarusian People’s Republic must embrace all the lands where the Belarusian people live and have a numerical predominance, namely: the Mogilev region, the Belarusian parts of the Menshchina, the Grodno region (with Grodno, Bialystok, etc. ), Vilna region, Vitebsk region, Smolensk region, Chernigov region and adjacent parts of neighboring provinces inhabited by Belarusians.” These provisions were based on the research of Academician E.F. Karsky “On the issue of the ethnographic map of the Belarusian tribe”, published by him in 1902 in the printing house of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg, and the “Map of the Settlement of the Belarusian Tribe” compiled on the basis of this research, published by the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1917.

The BPR map was planned to be developed in 1918, but it was published in 1919 in Polish-occupied Grodno as an appendix to the brochure of Professor M.V. Dovnar-Zapolsky “The Basics of Dzyarzhaunasci of Belarus”. Printed in Russian, Polish, English, German and French, the map was presented by the Belarusian delegation at the peace conference in Paris.

This map shows how the BPR border ran.

1. The crossing of the border with Russia was argued by the fact that, although the Smolensk and Bryansk lands at different times were both part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and part of the Moscow State, however, on almost all maps of the 19th - early 20th centuries. The ethnic border of the Belarusians covered the Smolensk region and the western regions of the Bryansk region. Thus, in the “List of populated places according to information since 1859” it was indicated that among the population of the Smolensk province, Belarusians predominate throughout the province, “Belarusians are especially common in the districts: Roslavsky, Smolensky, Krasninsky, Dorogobuzhsky, Elninsky, Porechsky and Dukhovshchinsky.” Other Russian similar publications also testified that “half of the population of the Smolensk province really belongs to the Belarusian tribe... and in its general natural type, most of the Smolensk province is no different from the most typical parts of Belarus, with which it has more similarities than with neighboring provinces "

2. With Ukraine. Professor E.F. Karsky, German and Ukrainian experts believed that the border dividing the territory of residence of the Belarusian and Ukrainian peoples runs along the border of the Volyn province to the village of Skorodnoye, from which - directly north to Mozyr, Minsk province, from Mozyr - along the Pripyat River, then along its a tributary of the Bobrik River, from the upper reaches of which to Lake Vygonovskoye, and from the lake in a broken line through the cities of Bereza and Pruzhany and north of the cities of Kamenets and Vysoko-Litovsk to the village of Melniki, which is the junction of the borders of Ukraine, Belarus and Poland.

Professor E.F. Karsky, when drawing up his map, used a strictly linguistic approach, and resolved all controversial issues not in favor of the Belarusians. Thus, he excluded the southwestern regions (Polessye territories), in which Ukrainian linguistic features predominated, from the ethnic territory of Belarus. The Belarusian historian, participant in the national movement M.V. Dovnar-Zapolsky, when drawing up his map, used all factors - from linguistic to historical-ethnic, so on his map the southern border of the settlement of Belarusians runs almost the same way as the Belarusian-Ukrainian state border currently passes .

3. With Poland. This border alignment was confirmed by the Krevo and Lublin unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland. However, in the 19th century, after the divisions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, some local residents of the Catholic faith, who called themselves Litvins, not wanting to succumb to Russification, began to call themselves Poles. Another part of the Catholics continued to consider themselves Litvins and called themselves Tuteish. However, according to the 1897 census, the majority of the population of the Grodno province considered themselves Belarusians, with the exception of the Bialystok district, where Poles predominated among the urban population, and among the rural population the ratio of Belarusians and Poles was the same.

4. The passage of the border with Lithuania was explained by the fact that most of the territory of present-day Lithuania, including the Vilna region, on all Western European and Russian ethnographic maps of the late 19th - early 20th centuries. was designated as a Belarusian ethnic territory, the population of which called themselves Litvins, spoke the Belarusian language and considered themselves Slavs. Also, according to the census of the Vilna province of 1897, the majority of its population, with the exception of Troki district, were Belarusians, Lithuanians were in second place, and Poles were in third place.

5. With Courland: from Turmonty northeast of Novo-Alexandrovsk through Illukst to the river. Western Dvina near the Liksno estate, which is 14 versts downstream of Dvinsk.

6. With Livonia: from the Liksno estate, going around Dvinsk and including it in the territory of the BPR, along the Western Dvina to Druya, from Druya ​​at a right angle it turns north and along the Dagda - Lyutsin - Yasnov line to the Korsovka station of the Petrograd - Warsaw railway. (Currently, the northwestern part of this territory - the former counties of Dvinsky, Lyutsynsky and Rezhitsky - is part of Latvia).

After the liberation of the territory of Belarus and Lithuania from the Germans and the establishment of Soviet power there, on December 8, 1918, the Bolsheviks proclaimed the formation of the Socialist Soviet Republic of Lithuania (SSRL), which was to include almost all Belarusian ethnic lands. However, in mid-December, the Central Committee of the RCP (b) considered a project to create two Soviet republics - Lithuanian and Belarusian, and on December 24, 1918, decided to create the Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus (SSRB). The directive of the People's Commissar for Nationalities of the RSFSR dated December 27, 1918 defined its territory: “The republic includes the provinces of Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev, Vitebsk and Smolensk. The latter is controversial, at the discretion of local comrades.”

LitBel: from start to finish

On December 30-31, 1918, the VI North-Western Regional Conference of the RCP (b) was held in Smolensk. The delegates unanimously adopted a resolution: “to consider it necessary to proclaim an independent Socialist Republic of Belarus from the territories of Minsk, Grodno, Mogilev, Vitebsk and Smolensk provinces.” The conference was renamed the First Congress of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Belarus, which adopted a resolution “On the borders of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic” (that’s how it is in the document), which stated:

“The main core of the Belarusian Republic is considered to be the provinces: Minsk, Smolensk, Mogilev, Vitebsk and Grodno with parts of the adjacent areas of neighboring provinces, populated mainly by Belarusians. The following are recognized as such: part of the Kovno province of the Novo-Alexandrovsky district, Vileika district, part of the Sventyansky and Oshmyansky districts of the Vilna province, Augustovsky district of the former Suvalkovsky province, Surazhsky, Mglinsky, Starodubsky and Novozybkovsky districts of the Chernigov province. The following districts may be excluded from the Smolensk province: Gzhatsky, Sychevsky, Vyazemsky and Yukhnovsky, and from the Vitebsk province parts of the districts of Dvinsky, Rezhitsky and Lyutsinsky.”

Thus, the borders of Soviet Belarus practically coincided with the borders of the BPR, only in the Bryansk region the border should have been closer to the border of the Mogilev province, in the Rezhitsa region - to the west of the BPR border, in the Vilna province - closer to Smorgon and Oshmyany, sections of the border with Poland were also different in the Belsk region and with Ukraine in the Novozybkov region.

On February 2, 1919, the First All-Belarusian Congress of Soviets adopted the “Declaration of the Rights of Working People and the Exploited” - the Constitution of the SSRB, in which the territory of Belarus was defined only as part of the Minsk and Grodno provinces.

However, on February 3, the chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, Ya.M. Sverdlov, spoke at the congress, who announced the resolution of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the RSFSR “On recognition of the independence of the Socialist Soviet Republic of Belarus,” after which he proposed to adopt the Declaration “On the unification of the Soviet socialist republics of Lithuania and Belarus.” The Belarusian Bolsheviks were forced to approve this proposal, and on February 15, the Congress of Soviets of the SSRL, also at the direction of the leadership of Soviet Russia, spoke in favor of the unification of the SSRL and SSRB into a single Socialist Soviet Republic of Lithuania and Belarus (SSRLB, LitBel), which was to become a buffer state between Poland and Soviet Russia, which would exclude open military confrontation between them. Thus, the national-state creation of Belarus was sacrificed to the interests of the world proletarian revolution.

On February 27, 1919, a joint meeting of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR and the Central Executive Committee of the SSRB was held in Vilna, which decided to create the USSRLB with its capital in Vilna. The republic included the territories of Vilna, Minsk, Grodno, Kovno and part of Suvalkovo provinces with a population of more than 6 million people.

On February 16, 1919, the Central Executive Committee of LitBel addressed the Polish government with a proposal to resolve the issue of borders. But there was no answer. The de facto leader of Poland, J. Pilsudski, was obsessed with the idea of ​​​​restoring the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth as part of Poland, Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine within the borders of 1772. J. Pilsudski’s maximum program was the creation of a number of national states on the territory of the European part of the former Russian Empire, which would be under the influence Poland, which, in his opinion, would allow Poland to become a great power, replacing Russia in Eastern Europe.

However, at the peace conference that opened on January 18, 1919 in Paris, a special commission on Polish affairs was created, headed by J. Cambon. The commission proposed establishing the eastern border of Poland along the line Grodno - Valovka - Nemirov - Brest-Litovsk - Dorogusk - Ustilug - eastern Grubeshova - Krylov - west of Rava-Russkaya - east of Przemysl to the Carpathians. This border line was accepted by the Allied powers after the conclusion of the Versailles Peace Treaty and published in the “Declaration of the Supreme Council of the Allied and Associated Powers regarding the temporary eastern border of Poland” dated December 8, 1919, signed by the Chairman of the Supreme Council J. Clemenceau.

Despite this decision of the Allied powers, J. Pilsudski gave the order to attack, and on March 2, 1919, Polish troops attacked units of the Red Army, which followed the retreating German troops almost to the line of the eastern border of Poland, determined by the Allied powers.

During the Soviet-Polish war, by the end of September 10, 1919, Polish troops reached the line Dinaburg (Dvinsk) - Polotsk - Lepel - Borisov - Bobruisk - r. Ptich, as a result of which almost the entire territory of the LitBel SSR was occupied, and the republic de facto ceased to exist.

Poland's military successes forced the Bolsheviks to seek a peace treaty with it at any cost. Lenin even offered J. Pilsudski peace “with an eternal border on the Dvina, Ulla and Berezina,” and then this proposal was repeated more than once at the negotiations in Mikashevichi. In fact, the Poles were offered all of Belarus in exchange for a cessation of hostilities.

In December 1919, Polish troops resumed the general offensive, occupying Dvinsk (Daugavpils) on January 3, 1920, which was then transferred to Latvia. Thus, the front was established along the line: Disna - Polotsk - r. Ula - railway Art. Krupki - Bobruisk - Mozyr.

After the resumption of hostilities in July 1920, the Red Army troops, breaking through the front, reached the ethnic borders of Poland. On July 10, the Polish prime minister issued a statement of agreement to recognize the line defined in the “Declaration of the Supreme Council of the Allied and Associated Powers regarding the temporary eastern border of Poland” as the eastern border of Poland. In this regard, on July 12, 1920, the British Foreign Minister Lord Curzon sent a note to the government of the RSFSR, in which he demanded to stop the Red Army offensive on this line. 7 days were given for reflection. The line of the eastern border of Poland was called the “Curzon Line”.

However, the Bolshevik leadership rejected these proposals. A peace treaty was concluded with Lithuania, which recognized its independence “within ethnographic borders.” Obviously, counting on the quick establishment of Soviet power in Lithuania, the leadership of Soviet Russia made significant territorial concessions, including without the consent of the Belarusians into Lithuania a significant part of the Belarusian territory occupied at that time by Polish troops, namely: Kovno, Suwalki and Grodno provinces with cities Grodno, Shchuchin, Smorgon, Oshmyany, Molodechno, Braslav and others. The Vilna region was also recognized as an integral part of Lithuania.

The signing of this agreement meant the actual cessation of the existence of LitBel. On July 31, 1920, in Minsk, the military revolutionary committee issued the “Declaration of the Proclamation of Independence of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus.”

The declaration also included a description of the borders of the republic: “the western border is determined by the ethnographic border between Belarus and the adjacent bourgeois states,” and the border with Russia and Ukraine “is determined by the free expression of the will of the Belarusian people at the district and provincial congresses of Soviets in full agreement with the governments of the RSFSR and SSRU[Ukraine].” However, in reality, the SSRB was restored only as part of the Minsk province, but without the Rechitsa district and the Belarusian districts of the Grodno and Vilna provinces.

In the final publication of the article, our expert Leonid Spatkai tells how the borders of Belarus changed in the 20s, 30s and 40s and when they acquired their modern form.

The Soviet-Polish war ended with the signing on March 18, 1921 in Riga of a peace treaty between the RSFSR and the Ukrainian SSR with Poland - humiliating for Soviet Russia. Under its terms, Poland included ethnic Belarusian lands with a total area of ​​more than 112,000 square meters. km with a population of more than 4 million people, of which about 3 million were Belarusians: Grodno, almost half of Minsk and most of Vilna provinces, i.e. the territories of Bialystochina, Vilna region and the current Brest, Grodno and partly Minsk and Vitebsk regions.

Since the Vitebsk province, in addition to the Rezhitsky and Drissen districts transferred under the peace treaty of the RSFSR with Latvia signed on August 11, 1920, as well as Mogilev and Smolensk remained part of the RSFSR, then territorially the SSRB comprised only six districts of the Minsk province: Bobruisk, Borisov , Igumensky (since 1923 - Chervensky), Mozyrsky, Minsky and Slutsky - with a total area of ​​52,300 sq. km with a population of 1.5 million people.

In 1923, the issue of returning to Belarus the ethnic Belarusian territories of the Vitebsk province, the Mstislav and Goretsky povets of the Smolensk province and most of the povets created in 1921 as part of the RSFSR from parts of the Minsk, Mogilev and Chernigov provinces of the Gomel province as “relatives to it in everyday, ethnographic and economic relations.” The Vitebsk provincial executive committee, which included practically no Belarusians, spoke out against it, arguing its decision by saying that the population of the Vitebsk province had lost everyday Belarusian features, and the Belarusian language was unfamiliar to the majority of the population.

Nevertheless, on March 3, 1924, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee nevertheless adopted a resolution on the transfer of the territory with a predominant Belarusian population to the BSSR - 16 districts of Vitebsk, Gomel and Smolensk provinces. Vitebsk, Polotsk, Sennen, Surazhsky, Gorodok, Drissensky, Lepelsky and Orsha districts of the Vitebsk province were returned to Belarus (Velizhsky, Nevelsky and Sebezh districts remained part of the RSFSR), Klimovichsky, Rogachevsky, Bykhovsky, Mogilevsky, Cherikovsky and Chaussky districts of the Gomel province (Gomel and Rechitsa districts remained within the RSFSR), as well as 18 volosts of Goretsky and Mstislavl districts of the Smolensk province. As a result of the first consolidation of the BSSR, its territory more than doubled and amounted to 110,500 square meters. km, and the population almost tripled - to 4.2 million people.

The second consolidation of the BSSR occurred on December 28, 1926, when the Gomel and Rechitsa districts of the Gomel province were transferred to its composition. As a result, the territory of the BSSR became 125,854 square meters. km, and the population reached almost 5 million people.

The return to the BSSR from the RSFSR and other ethnic territories was expected - almost the entire Smolensk region and most of the Bryansk region. But after the start of the first wave of terror against the national elite, the issue was no longer raised.

The last adjustment of the borders of the BSSR during this period was carried out in 1929: at the request of the residents of the village of Vasilyevka 2nd, Khotimsky district, Mozyr district, by a resolution of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of October 20, 16 farms of this village were included in the RSFSR.

A significant increase in the territory of Belarus occurred after the so-called. liberation campaign of the Red Army in Western Belarus, which began on September 17, 1939. On November 2, the Law “On the inclusion of Western Belarus into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and its reunification with the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic” was adopted. As a result, the territory of the BSSR increased to 225,600 square meters. km, and the population is up to 10.239 million people.

However, part of the territory of Western Belarus was almost included in the Ukrainian SSR. The first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine (Bolsheviks) N. Khrushchev made proposals on the border between the western regions of the Ukrainian SSR and the BSSR; it should have passed north of the line Brest - Pruzhany - Stolin - Pinsk - Luninets - Kobrin. The leadership of the CP(b)B spoke out categorically against such a division, which became the cause of a fierce dispute between N. Khrushchev and the first secretary of the Central Committee of the CP(b)B P. Ponomarenko. Stalin put an end to this dispute - on December 4, 1939, the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks approved the draft Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the distinction between the Ukrainian SSR and the BSSR, in which the proposal of the leadership of Belarus was taken as a basis.

On October 10, 1939, an Agreement was concluded between the USSR and the Lithuanian Republic on the transfer to it from the BSSR of Vilnius and part of the Vilna region - Vilna-Troksky district and parts of Sventyansky and Braslav districts with a total area of ​​6739 square meters. km with almost 457 thousand people. At the same time, a Mutual Assistance Pact was concluded, according to which the USSR stationed Red Army troops of 20 thousand people on the territory of Lithuania. Representatives of the BSSR did not take part either in the discussion of the terms of the treaty, or in negotiations with the Lithuanians, or in the signing of the treaty.

The situation changed again after the proclamation of Soviet power in Lithuania on July 21, 1940. It was decided to transfer to the Lithuanian SSR part of the territory of the BSSR with the cities of Sventsyany (Švenčionis), Solechniki (Šalčininkai), Devyanishki (Devyaniškės) and Druskeniki (Druskininkai). The new Belarusian-Lithuanian administrative border was approved on November 6, 1940 by Decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

Thus, almost the entire Sventyansky district of the Vileika region (with the exception of Lyntunsky, Maslyaniksky and Rymkyansky village councils, which were included in the Postavy district) and most of the Gadutishkovsky district (Komaisky, Magunsky, Novoselkovsky, Onkovichsky, Polessky, Radutsky and Starchuksky) were torn away from Belarus village councils were also included in the Postavy district) with a population of 76 thousand people. After this, the area of ​​the BSSR became 223,000 square meters. km, 10.2 million people lived here.

Another “cutback” of Belarus occurred after the end of the Great Patriotic War, this time in favor of Poland.

At the Tehran Conference of the leaders of the USSR, USA and Great Britain (November 28 - December 1, 1943), the “Curzon Line” was adopted as the basis for the future Soviet-Polish border, and the transfer of the Belarusian Bialystok region to Poland was compensated by the transfer of the northern part of East Prussia to the USSR. Thus, the territory of Belarus has again become a “bargaining chip” in big politics. If we proceed from the way some of our neighbors now approach the interpretation of territorial issues, then the results of such an “exchange” give President A. Lukashenko the right to talk about transferring the Kaliningrad region of Russia to Belarus or about transferring it to Poland in exchange for returning to Belarus Bialystochina.

The border proposed by Stalin in July 1944 left the USSR with the entire Belovezhskaya Pushcha and a significant part of the Suvalshchina. However, based on the ethnographic principle, concessions were made in favor of Poland in relation to Suwalki and Augustow. Polish representatives asked to cede part of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, located east of the “Curzon Line,” citing the fact that Poland lost a lot of forest during the war, and Belovezhskaya Pushcha was a raw material base for the industry of Gainówka and a Polish national park. As the head of the PCNO, E. Osubka-Moravsky, convinced Stalin: “In the case of Belovezhskaya Pushcha there are no national problems, since bison and other animals have no nationality.” But Stalin decided to transfer 17 districts of the Bialystok region and three districts of the Brest region to Poland, incl. settlements Nemirov, Gaynovka, Yalovka and Belovezh with part of the Pushcha.

The official agreement on the Soviet-Polish border was adopted by the heads of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain at the Yalta Conference in 1945. In accordance with it, the western border of the USSR was supposed to run along the “Curzon line” with a deviation from it in some areas from 5 to 8 km in favor Poland.

Pursuant to the decisions of the Crimean and Berlin Conferences of the Allied Powers, on August 16, 1945 in Moscow, the Prime Minister of the Polish Provisional Government of National Unity E. Osubka-Morawski and the USSR People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs V. Molotov signed an agreement on the Soviet-Polish state border. In favor of Poland, part of the territory located east of the “Curzon Line” to the Western Bug River, as well as part of the territory of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, including Nemirov, Gaynovka, Belovezh and Yalovka, was withdrawn from Belarus, with a deviation in favor of Poland of a maximum of 17 km. Thus, V. Molotov, on behalf of the Soviet Union, gave Poland the original Belarusian lands - almost the entire Bialystok region, except for the Berestovitsky, Volkovysk, Grodno, Sapotskinsky, Svisloch and Skidelsky districts, which were included in the Grodno region, as well as the Kleschelsky and Gainovsky districts with part of Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The Polish side transferred only 15 villages to the BSSR, populated mainly by Belarusians. In total, 14,300 square meters were transferred to Poland from the BSSR. km of territory with a population of about 638 thousand people.

However, the “circumcision” of Belarus did not end there. In particular, at the insistent requests of the Polish government in September 1946, the village of Zaleshany, in which 499 people lived, was transferred to Poland from the BSSR. In total, during the demarcation work in the area, the Poles made 22 proposals to change the border line, many of them were rejected. As a result, 24 settlements with a population of 3,606 people went to Belarus, and 44 settlements with a population of 7,143 people went to Poland.

“Refinements” of the Soviet-Polish border continued until 1955. Several more sections of territory and settlements were transferred to Poland. Thus, in March 1949, 19 villages and 4 farmsteads with a population of 5,367 people were transferred to Poland from the Sopotskinsky district of the Grodno region. In March 1950, 7 villages and 4 hamlets of the Sopotskinsky district, 7 villages of the Grodno region and 12 villages of the Berestovitsky district were transferred from the Grodno region. In exchange, 13 villages and 4 farmsteads were transferred from Poland to the Brest region. On March 8, 1955, as a result of the third “clarification” of the border, 2 villages and 4 farmsteads with a population of 1835 people were transferred from the Sopotska region to Poland, and a few months later, another 26 villages and 4 farmsteads were transferred from the Grodno region to Poland .

In the early 1960s, the border of the BSSR with the RSFSR was also “clarified”. Thus, in 1961 and 1964, as a result of the demands of the local Smolensk Belarusian population, small territories of the Smolensk region were annexed to the BSSR.

The borders of the BSSR were finally established in 1964, when, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, a territory with a total area of ​​2256 hectares with the villages of Bragi, Kaskovo, Konyukhovo, Oslyanka, Novaya Shmatovka, Staraya Shmatovka and Northern Belishchino was transferred from the RSFSR to the BSSR.

On August 5, 1772, the first partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth took place. Austria received Galicia, Prussia received Western Prussia, and Russia received Belarus.

Russians and Belarusians admit: we differ little from each other. But still we are different. How Belarus was formed and what makes it unique

History of White Rus'

The ethnonym "Belarusians" was finally adopted by the Russian Empire in the 18th - 19th centuries. Together with the Great Russians and Little Russians, the Belarusians, in the eyes of autocratic ideologists, constituted a triune all-Russian nationality. In Russia itself, the term began to be used under Catherine II: after the third partition of Poland in 1796, the empress ordered the establishment of the Belarusian province on the newly acquired lands.

Historians do not have a consensus on the origin of the toponyms Belarus, Belaya Rus. Some believed that White Russia was the name given to lands independent of the Mongol-Tatars (white is the color of freedom), others attributed the name to the white color of clothing and hair of the local residents. Still others contrasted white Christian Rus' with black pagan Russia. The most popular version was about Black, Red and White Rus', where the color was compared with a certain side of the world: black - with the north, white - with the west, red - with the south.

The territory of White Rus' extended far beyond the borders of present-day Belarus. Since the 13th century, foreigners-Latins called North-Eastern Rus' White Russia (Ruthenia Alba). Western European medieval geographers almost never visited it and had a vague idea of ​​its boundaries. The term was also used in relation to the Western Russian principalities, for example, Polotsk. In the 16th – 17th centuries, the concept of “White Rus'” was assigned to the Russian-speaking lands in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the northeastern lands, on the contrary, began to be opposed to White Rus'.

The annexation of Ukraine-Little Russia to Russia in 1654 (do not forget that, along with the Little Russian lands, part of the Belarusian ones were also annexed to Moscow) provided state ideologists with an excellent opportunity to put forward the concept of the brotherhood of three peoples - Great Russian, Little Russian and Belarusian.

Ethnography and potato pancakes

However, despite the official ideology, Belarusians had no place in science for a long time. The study of their rituals and folk customs was just beginning, and the Belarusian literary language was taking its first steps. Stronger neighboring peoples who were experiencing a period of national revival, primarily the Poles and Russians, laid claim to White Rus' as their ancestral homeland. The main argument was that scientists did not perceive the Belarusian language as an independent language, calling it a dialect of either Russian or Polish.

Only in the 20th century was it possible to identify that the ethnogenesis of the Belarusians took place on the territory of the Upper Dnieper, Middle Podvinia and Upper Ponemania, that is, on the territory of modern Belarus. Gradually, ethnographers identified the original aspects of the Belarusian ethnic group and, in particular, Belarusian cuisine. Potatoes took root in the Belarusian lands back in the 18th century (unlike the rest of Russia, which knew the potato reforms and riots of the 1840s) and by the end of the 19th century, Belarusian cuisine was replete with an assortment of potato dishes. Draniki, for example.

Belarusians in science

Interest in the history of Belarusians, the emergence of the first scientifically based concepts of the origin of the ethnic group is a matter of the beginning of the 20th century. One of the first to take on it was Vladimir Ivanovich Picheta, a student of the famous Russian historian Vasily Osipovich Klyuchevsky. Based on the settlement of the Slavs according to the Tale of Bygone Years, he suggested that the ancestors of the Belarusians were the Krivichi, as well as the neighboring tribes of the Radimichi and Dregovichi. As a result of their consolidation, the Belarusian people emerged. The time of its origin was determined by the separation of the Belarusian language from Old Russian in the 14th century.

The weak side of the hypothesis was that the chronicled tribes have been disappearing from the pages of the chronicles since the middle of the 12th century and it is difficult to explain the two-century silence of the sources. But the beginning of the Belarusian nation had been laid, and not least because of the systematic study of the Belarusian language that had begun. In 1918, a teacher at Petrograd University, Bronislav Tarashkevich, prepared his first grammar, normalizing spelling for the first time. This is how the so-called Tarashkevitsa arose - a language norm later adopted in the Belarusian emigration. Tarashkevitz was contrasted with the 1933 grammar of the Belarusian language, created as a result of the language reforms of the 1930s. There was a lot of Russian in it, but it gained a foothold and was used in Belarus until 2005, when it was partially unified with the Tarashkevitsa. As a noteworthy fact, it is worth noting that in the 1920s, on the official flag of the BSSR, the phrase “Workers of all countries unite!” was written in as many as four languages: Russian, Polish, Yiddish and Tarashkevich. Tarashkevitsa should not be confused with Tarasyanka. The latter is a mixture of Russian and Belarusian languages, found everywhere in Belarus even now, more often in cities.

Belarusians from Old Russian people

After the Great Patriotic War, the national question in the USSR became greatly aggravated and on this basis, to prevent interethnic conflicts in the ideology of the Union, a new supranational concept - “Soviet people” - began to be widely used. Shortly before this, in the 1940s, researchers of Ancient Rus' substantiated the theory of the “Old Russian nationality” - a single cradle of the Belarusian, Ukrainian and Russian peoples. There were few similarities between these two concepts, but their active use by the USSR during this period is striking. Such features of the Old Russian people as “common territory, economy, law, military organization and, especially, a common struggle against external enemies with an awareness of their unity” can be safely attributed to Soviet society of the late 1940s - 1960s. Of course, ideology did not subordinate history, but the structures with which scientists-historians and political ideologists thought were very similar. The origin of the Belarusians from the Old Russian people removed the weaknesses of the “tribal” concept of ethnogenesis and emphasized the gradual isolation of the three peoples in the 12th – 14th centuries. However, some scientists extend the period of formation of the nationality until the end of the 16th century.

This theory is still accepted today. In 2011, at the celebration of the 1150th anniversary of the Old Russian State, its provisions were confirmed by historians of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. During this time, it was supplemented by archeological data that showed active connections between the ancestors of Belarusians and the Balts and Finno-Ugric peoples (from which the versions of the Baltic and Finno-Ugric origins of the Belarusians were born), as well as a DNA study conducted in Belarus in 2005 - 2010, which proved the closeness of the three East Slavic peoples and large genetic differences between the Slavs and the Balts in the male line.

Another Rus'

In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which included almost the entire territory of modern Belarus in the 13th – 16th centuries, the Old Belarusian language (that is, Western Russian) was the first state language - all office work was conducted in it, literary works and laws were written down. Developing in a separate state, it was strongly influenced by Polish and Church Slavonic, but remained a book language. In contrast, spoken Belarusian, experiencing the same influences, developed mainly in rural areas and has survived to the present day. The territory where the Belarusians were formed did not suffer so much from the Mongol-Tatars. The population constantly had to fight for their faith - Orthodoxy and against foreign culture. At the same time, much of Western European culture took root in Belarus faster and easier than in Russia. For example, book printing, started by Francis Skaryna almost 50 years earlier than in Muscovy. Finally, another important factor in the formation of the Belarusian nation was the climate, milder and more fertile than in central Russia. That is why potatoes took root in Belarus 75–90 years earlier. The Belarusian national idea was formed later than that of other peoples and sought to resolve issues without conflicts. And this is her strength.

Alternative names for the country are the Republic of Belarus. Until 1991, the country was known as the Republic of Belarus, which was part of the USSR. Sometimes Belarus is also called White Russia. This name was popular mainly until 1918.

Origin of the country's name

The name Belarus probably comes from the medieval geographical designation of the area as "White Rus'". Historians and linguists debate its etymology, but the name may be used as a name of folk origin, especially common in the northern territories of the country.

Some historical sources also mention Red and Black Rus' in addition to White Rus'. Such markings were probably used at the time when Kievan Rus arose. Historical sources mention that during the 14th-15th centuries the geographical name of the country was the designation “Belarus”. But later the name acquired a specific political meaning.

Although Belarusians are the dominant ethnic group in the country, the country includes people of different nationalities such as Lithuanians, Poles, Ukrainians, Russians, Jews and Tatars. The richness and mixture of cultures reflects the complexity of ethnic interactions that have occurred in the country for hundreds of years.

Nationalization of the country

Around the end of the ninth and beginning of the tenth centuries, the kingdom of Kievan Rus begins to take shape. Among others, he has two provinces - the Principality of Polotsk and the Principality of Turov.

These two principalities occupied the territory of present-day Belarus. For several centuries, Belarusian territories were heavily influenced by Byzantine culture, including Orthodox Christianity, stone architecture and literary trends. After the Mongol takeover of Kievan Rus in the mid-thirteenth century, the two Belarusian principalities were incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

A century later, an alliance with the Kingdom of Poland was formed. This new administrative and political situation brought strong Western European influences to the territory of Belarus, including the introduction of the Catholic religion. In the fourteenth century, large numbers of Jews settled in these lands.

The Polish-Lithuanian union created a strong political, economic and military force in Eastern Europe. In 1569, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland united into a multinational federal state, it was one of the richest and most powerful in all of Europe at that time, it was called the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The state occupied a powerful position in Europe for two centuries.

After the division of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1772, 1793 and 1795 between Russia, Prussia and Austria, the Belarusian territories became part of the Russian Empire. Great poverty reigned throughout Belarus when it came under Russian rule, especially among Jews, leading to mass emigration of people in the nineteenth century.

The second half of the nineteenth century was a time of rapid development of capitalism in Belarus.

Starting from the late 1880s, Marxist ideas spread in Belarus; a revolution occurred in 1905-1907, which led to the organization of the Belarusian national liberation movement. The nationalist newspaper Nasha Niva (Our Land) was first published at this time.

The most significant event in this process of national awakening was April 1917, when the congress of Belarusian national parties took place. Its delegates approved the autonomy of Belarus. However, after the October Socialist Revolution in Petrograd, the Bolsheviks seized power in Belarus.

In December 1917, they dissolved the All-Belarusian Congress in Minsk. Despite the actions of the Soviet occupation, the All-Belarusian Congress and representatives of political parties declared Belarus the Belarusian People's Republic on March 25, 1918.

Ten months later, the Bolsheviks proclaimed the country the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR). The new nation-state was officially incorporated into the Soviet Union (USSR) and remained part of the Soviet Union until 1991.

On July 27, 1991, the Supreme Council of the BSSR adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty. In August 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the BSSR abolished the Communist Party of Belarus and renamed the country the Republic of Belarus.

In December 1991, as a result of the collapse of the USSR, the Republic of Belarus became one of the founders of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

In March 1994, a new constitution was adopted in Belarus, a presidency appeared and a 260-seat parliament was created. On July 10, 1994, Alexander Lukashenko was elected the first President of the Republic of Belarus. In 1997, the Treaty on the Union of Belarus and Russia was signed.

National identity of Belarus

National identity is symbolically connected with two significant moments in the history of Belarus. The national holiday is officially celebrated on July 3, in honor of the day when Soviet troops entered in 1944, when the city was liberated from Nazi troops.

Some Belarusians celebrate March 25 as an unofficial Independence Day. The date marks the anniversary of the brief period when Belarus broke away from Bolshevik Party rule in March 1918, only to re-enter its rule in December 1918.

Ethnic relations

For centuries, Belarusian lands have been home to different ethnic groups who have different religions. Muslims, Jews, Orthodox Christians, Greek Catholic Christians and Protestants have lived together in Belarus for centuries without serious confrontation.

Belarusians, Poles, Russians, Jews, Lithuanians, Ukrainians and Gypsies lived in peace and harmony. Although the twentieth century brought many problems, and peaceful coexistence was shaken. is in many ways a country of tolerant cultures.

Currently, the population in the country is predominantly Belarusian, but Russians, Poles, Ukrainians and Jews also live in the country. All ethnic groups have equal status and there is no evidence of hatred or ethnically biased crimes.

For many people, Belarus, located in Eastern Europe, still somehow remains a “terra incognita” (“unknown land”). However, this country has beautiful nature with dense centuries-old forests inhabited by bison, deer, wild boars, wolves, foxes and beavers; there are thousands of beautiful lakes, as well as hundreds of ancient architectural monuments, castles, monasteries and museums with unique historical artifacts. This means that the inquisitive traveler will be pleased to explore Belarus, the last “terra ingonita” of Eastern Europe...

Geography of Belarus

The Republic of Belarus is located in Eastern Europe. In the west it borders with Poland, in the northwest with Lithuania, in the north with Latvia, in the east and northeast with Russia, and in the south with Ukraine. The total area of ​​this country is 207,600 square meters. km. More than 40% of the territory of Belarus is occupied by forests, where mainly valuable tree species grow (pine, spruce, oak, birch, aspen and alder).

Capital of Belarus

The capital of Belarus is the city of Minsk, whose population now numbers about 1.9 million people. The first settlements on the territory of modern Minsk appeared in the 9th century, and in the chronicle (“The Tale of Bygone Years”) this city was first mentioned in 1067. Now Minsk is the largest political, economic, scientific and cultural center of Belarus.

Official language

There are 2 official languages ​​in the Republic of Belarus - Belarusian and Russian. The Belarusian language belongs to the East Slavic languages. Its formation began in the 9th-10th centuries AD. The formation of the Belarusian (Old Belarusian) language was completed in the 14th century. In 1922, a reform of the spelling of the Belarusian language was carried out, after which it became even closer to the Russian language.

Religion of Belarus

The majority of the population of Belarus professes Orthodox Christianity. However, there are many Catholics and atheists in the country. In addition, Protestants, Jews and Uniates live in Belarus. In general, there are now more than 20 different religious concessions in this Eastern European country.

State structure

Belarus is a presidential republic, which is governed by the President and parliament - the National Assembly.

The National Assembly consists of the House of Representatives (110 deputies) and the Council of the Republic (64 people). The House of Representatives has the right to appoint the Prime Minister and introduce bills. In turn, the Council of the Republic has the right to elect officials, and can also approve or reject bills adopted by the House of Representatives. The Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus is headed by the Prime Minister.

Climate and weather in Belarus

The climate in Belarus is temperate continental with mild and wet winters, warm summers and rainy autumns. The average temperature in January is from -4C to -8C, and in July - from +17C to +19C. As for precipitation, on average 600–700 mm falls annually in Belarus.

Rivers and lakes of Belarus

There are about 20 thousand rivers and their tributaries, as well as about 11 thousand lakes in Belarus. The largest rivers are the Dnieper, Pripyat, Neman and Western Bug. The largest lake is Naroch (about 80 sq. km.).

Also worth noting are the beautiful Braslav lakes, located in the Vitebsk region. Now a National Park has been created on their territory. This park is home to 30 species of fish, 189 species of birds, 45 species of mammals, 10 species of amphibians and 6 species of reptiles.

History of Belarus

Remains of Homo erectus (“upright man”) and Neanderthals have been found on the territory of Belarus. This means that people lived here at least 100 thousand years ago. Scientists have proven the existence of Milograd, Pomeranian and Dnieper-Donets archaeological cultures on the territory of Belarus.

Around 1000 B.C. Cimmerians and other pastoralists roamed this area. In 500 BC. Slavic tribes settled on the territory of modern Belarus, which later became its autochthonous population. Even the Huns and Avars in 400-600 AD. could not force the Slavs to leave these lands.

In the 9th century AD. Slavic tribes of Dregovichi, Krivichi and Radimichi lived in Belarus. With the formation of Kievan Rus, the first Belarusian administrative units appeared - the principalities of Polotsk, Turov and Smolensk.

In the XIII-XVI centuries, Belarus was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Russia and Zhemoyt, and from 1569 to 1795 - part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Poland).

After the collapse of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (this happened at the end of the 18th century), the Belarusian lands became part of the Russian Empire.

During the First World War, the Belarusian lands were occupied by German troops, and after the end of hostilities in 1919, the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed.

In 1922, the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic became part of the USSR.

During the Second World War, a powerful partisan movement unfolded in Belarus against the Nazi troops. During the war, German soldiers destroyed almost all Belarusian cities, and also burned more than 3 thousand villages.

In 1986, an accident occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which became a national tragedy for Belarusians.

In 1991, after the collapse of the USSR, the independence of Belarus was proclaimed.

Culture of Belarus

The Republic of Belarus is located on the border between Eastern and Western Europe. Therefore, Belarusian culture was influenced by both Russians, Ukrainians, Lithuanians and Poles. The traditions of Belarusian culture correspond to historical “layers”. Thus, at first, Belarusian culture was significantly influenced by the culture of Kievan Rus, then by Lithuania and Poland, and from the 18th century by Russia and, partly, Ukraine.

The first cities on the territory of modern Belarus appeared in the early Middle Ages (the most ancient of them are Polotsk and Vitebsk). In the 10th century, the first Belarusian Orthodox church was built in Polotsk - St. Sophia Cathedral.

In the middle of the 16th century, the Baroque style began to dominate in the architecture of Belarus (this lasted for two centuries). At this time, a large number of Catholic monasteries were built in Belarus.

The first Belarusian literary works appeared in the 12th-13th centuries - “The Life of St. Euphrosyne of Polotsk” and “The Life of Abraham of Smolensk”.

In the 16th century, the humanist and educator, the founder of book printing in Eastern Europe, Francis Skorina, had a huge influence on the development of Belarusian literature.

Vincent Dunin-Martsinkevich, who lived in 1808-1884, is considered the founder of modern Belarusian literature.

In the second half of the 20th century, the Second World War became the main theme in Belarusian literature. The most famous Belarusian writers and poets of that time were Pimen Panchenko, Arkady Kuleshov, Kuzma Chorny, Ivan Shamyakin, Mikhas Lynkov, Ales Adamovich, Rygor Borodulin, Vasil Bykov, Ivan Melezh and Yanka Bryl.

It should also be noted that more than 30 international, national and regional music festivals are now held annually in Belarus. The most famous of them are “Belarusian Musical Autumn”, “Minsk Spring”, “Slavic Bazaar in Vitebsk”, the chamber music festival “Muses of Nesvizh”, as well as the festival of ancient and modern music in Polotsk.

Cuisine of Belarus

The cuisine of Belarus was formed under the influence of the culinary traditions of Russia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine. Belarusian cuisine mainly consists of vegetables, meat (most often pork) and potatoes.

The most popular Belarusian dishes are Belarusian borscht, Minsk-style holodik (cold beetroot soup), fish stewed with potatoes in a pot, zharenka (fried meat with mushrooms), Belarusian-style meat dumplings, stuffed beets, potato dumplings and potato pancakes

In the Belarusian forests you can find a lot of mushrooms, so it is not surprising that they are part of traditional local dishes (stewed mushrooms, mushrooms with cheese, mushrooms baked with potatoes and cabbage rolls with mushrooms).

We recommend that tourists try a traditional local alcoholic drink in Belarus - Belovezhskaya Pushcha tincture, 43 degrees strength. For some reason, in the West they are sure that it is made from 100 different herbs. In addition, tourists there can try (best in small quantities) local wheat vodka.

Sights of Belarus

Since the history of Belarus began a very long time ago, it is clear that this country should have many attractions. However, many architectural, historical and cultural monuments were destroyed during the Second World War. However, tourists in Belarus will not be bored, because... There are still a lot of attractions left here.

In our opinion, the Top 5 most popular attractions in Belarus include:

Cities and resorts

Polotsk is considered the most ancient city in Belarus. Historians believe that it was founded back in the 9th century. Now the population of Polotsk is only about 85 thousand people.

At the moment, the largest Belarusian cities are Minsk (about 1.9 million people), Brest (about 320 thousand people), Grodno (about 350 thousand people), Gomel (about 500 thousand people), Mogilev (more than 365 thousand . people) and Vitebsk (more than 370 thousand people).

Souvenirs/shopping

We advise tourists to bring handicrafts (clay pots, straw figurines), crystal glasses, linen tablecloths and towels, nesting dolls, vodka and balms, cranberries in powdered sugar, wooden painted spoons and trays as souvenirs from Belarus.

Office hours

The origin of the term “White Rus'” is attributed to the eastern regions of present-day Belarus - Smolensk, Vitebsk and the Mogilev region.

Already by the 10th century, the first principalities appeared in the history of Belarus, the main of which was Polotsk. In addition to the Principality of Polotsk, the Principalities of Turov and Smolensk also existed on the territory of Belarus. All these principalities were part of Kievan Rus.

The Principality of Polotsk recognized the power of Kyiv for a relatively short time and soon became an independent state entity. The Principality of Polotsk had its own administration, veche, its own prince, its own army and its own monetary system.

In the 10th-11th centuries, the Principality of Polotsk covered large territories of modern Belarus, as well as part of the lands of Latvia, Lithuania and the Smolensk region.

During this period, new cities appeared, so in 1005 the city of Volkovysk was mentioned for the first time in chronicles. Also at this time, Brest, Minsk, Orsha, Pinsk, Borisov, Slutsk, Grodno and Gomel were founded.

At the end of the 10th century, with the advent of Christianity in Rus', the Cyrillic alphabet began to spread in Belarus.

History of Belarus during the period of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

In the 13th century, the Lithuanian prince Mindovig united the East Slavic and Lithuanian lands under his rule, founding the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The main reason for the unification of the Belarusian and Lithuanian lands was the desire to resist the growing pressure from the Teutonic and Livonian orders. The Old Belarusian language became widespread as a written language in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

In this language, the educator, writer and scientist Francis Skorina in 1517-1525. publishes the Bible.

However, by the end of the 15th century, the heyday of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ended, when as a result of a series of ongoing wars with the Grand Duchy of Moscow. The key moment of this period in the history of Belarus and the entire Principality of Lithuania was the Battle of Vedrosh, as a result of which the combined Polish-Lithuanian troops suffered a crushing defeat.

History of Belarus during the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

During the Livonian War, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania supported the Livonian Order, which fought against the Moscow state. In response to this, in 1563, Ivan the Terrible captured one of the largest cities in the principality - Polotsk.

In search of allies, the Principality of Lithuania turns to for help. The result of lengthy negotiations was the conclusion of the Union of Lublin in 1569, according to which the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were united into one state - the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

In 1575, the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Stefan Batory recaptured Polotsk and other cities captured by Ivan the Terrible.

The middle of the 16th century was marked for the history of Belarus by the strengthening of the influence of the Catholic Church, which led to the Church Union of Brest in 1596, which subordinated the Orthodox Church in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to the Pope.

History of Belarus as part of the Russian Empire

As a result of the division of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the end of the 18th century, most of the Belarusian lands were annexed to the Russian Empire.

As a result of the transition to Russian citizenship, the long-awaited peace reigned on Belarusian soil, interrupted by the French invasion of 1812. This invasion in the history of Belarus became one of the most destructive, many people died and suffered.

The middle of the 19th century was marked for Belarusian history by the Polish uprising of 1863 under the leadership of Vincent Kalinowski. The uprising was brutally suppressed, and many of its participants were exiled or executed.

The end of the 19th century was marked by reforms that led to the emergence and development of capitalism.

History of Belarus during the Civil War

The First World War became a difficult time in the history of Belarus. In 1915, German troops carried out a powerful offensive and occupied all western regions. The situation worsened even more after the Brest-Litovsk Treaty, according to which all Belarusian lands came under German control.

In March 1918, while under occupation, representatives of several Belarusian parties announced the creation of the Belarusian People's Republic. However, immediately after the departure of the German army, the territory of Belarus was occupied by the Red Army without major resistance. The government of the People's Republic emigrated abroad.

In November 1920, the Slutsk uprising broke out in Belarus, the goal of which was to create an independent Belarus. As a result of several battles, the rebels were defeated by the forces of the Red Army.

History of Belarus as part of the USSR

After the Civil War, Belarus became part of the USSR, and part of the Belarusian lands were ceded.

In the mid-20s of the 20th century, an active policy was pursued to strengthen the Belarusian language and expand the spheres of application of the Belarusian language. Also, this period in the history of Belarus is characterized by the growth of industrialization and collectivization.

Annexation of Western Belarus

As a result of the “Non-Aggression Pact between the USSR and Germany,” Soviet troops occupied Western Belarus in September 1939.

On October 28, 1939, a meeting of the People's Assembly of Western Belarus was held, which decided on the entry of Western Belarus into the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. Western Belarus was divided into 5 parts - Baranovichi, Bialystok, Brest, Vileika and Pinsk.

History of Belarus during the Great Patriotic War

Already at the very beginning of the war, the territory of Belarus was occupied by German troops. The occupied Belarusian lands are part of the Reichkomissariat Ostland.

However, the occupation led to the rapid growth of the partisan movement, which forced German troops to maintain many military units in Belarus. Belarusian partisans made a significant contribution to the Victory over the Nazi troops.

The liberation of Belarus from German troops began in the fall of 1943, when Soviet troops liberated the eastern and southeastern regions of Belarus. Belarus was completely liberated in 1944 as a result of Operation Bagration.

History of Belarus after the war

The post-war history of Belarus became the time of the rise of the republic after the Great Patriotic War.

The Belarusian USSR became one of the founders, and then became part of the United Nations (UN).

The 50-70s were the heyday of the Belarusian economy. Mechanical engineering and the chemical industry have received the most active development.

History of Belarus after the collapse of the USSR

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Belarus became an independent state and on December 8, 1991, became part of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

On March 15, 1994, the Constitution of Belarus was adopted, declaring the republic a legal unitary state.

In 1995, a referendum was held at which a new coat of arms and flag were adopted.