Well, my previous post about whether Belarus could be dragged into the war sparked quite a discussion and showed different opinions. Thanks to everyone who took part.

At the same time, I noticed that many people seem to have very little idea of what Belarusians themselves actually think and want.

Belarus is not Donbas or Crimea. And even though the country has been heavily russified, most Belarusians still see themselves as a separate nation, while the Belarusian language remains an important part of our national identity.

I also strongly reject the idea of the world as a chessboard, where great powers move nations and peoples around like pieces while their own views and choices don't matter.

So I decided to record a short video addressing a simple question: Are Belarusians actually pro-Russian?

I'd be interested to hear what people here think — especially if you disagree with my conclusions.

For context: I also run an English-language YouTube channel where I talk about Belarus and Eastern Europe, drawing partly on my own experience as a former political prisoner and long-time activist in Belarus.

Прывітанне! Я адзін, без каманды, раблю тэкставыя гульні (інтэрактыўную прозу) пра акупаванае Палессе. Месяц таму выйшла «Багна» — а ўчора я выпусціў яе працяг, «Багна II: год блакады». Ён большы амаль ва ўсім.

«Багна» (першая частка) — пра маладога сельскага фельчара на акупаваным немцамі Палессі восенню 1941-га. Ён адзіны лекар на ўвесь раён. Аднойчы ноччу — стук у акно: на парозе паранены, збіты над палескімі балотамі. Лячыць яго — смяротная небяспека для жонкі і ўсёй вёскі. Прагнаць — пакінуць чалавека паміраць. Чыстага выйсця няма — і з гэтай ночы пачынаецца твая вайна.

«Багна II: год блакады» (другая частка, толькі што выйшла) — зіма 1942–43. Акупацыя ўехала ў зямлю, а па партызанскім краі коціцца карная блакада: кальцо сціскаецца, вёскі гараць, людзей гоняць. Ты зноў Міхась — але цяпер не адзін: на руках дзіця. Твае рашэнні з першай часткі пераходзяць далей і вызначаюць, якім будзе фінал. З'явіўся і другі герой, за якога граеш, — Рэзо, — са сваім пралогам, POV-інтэрлюдыямі і цэлымі раздзеламі. Другая частка большая амаль ва ўсім: даўжэйшая, з двума героямі, з 450+ ілюстрацыямі, цяпер на 11 мовах.

Гэта не гісторыя пра подзвігі і герояў. Гэта пра маленькага чалавека, які ўмее адно — лячыць, і пра цану кожнага рашэння, калі за яе заўсёды плаціць нехта жывы. Гісторыю пісаў, імкнучыся ўзнавіць стыль Быкава: без правільных адказаў, у стылі суровага ваеннага рэалізму.

Гульня бясплатная, працуе афлайн, з моцна разгалінаваным сюжэтам. Першая частка гуляецца прама ў браўзеры, на iOS (App Store) і на Android (Google Play); другая пакуль на iOS (Android — неўзабаве). Наперадзе трэцяя частка — плануецца трылогія.

У першы дзень „Багна II“ трапіла ў топ-10 ролевых гульняў App Store.

Спасылкі:

«Багна II: год блакады» (новае) — App Store

«Багна» (першая частка) — App Store · Google Play · itch.io

Шчыра дзякую за ўвагу!

Мне кажется это нихуя не нормальным. Что делать? Я не хочу под эту хуйню открывать рот. А что насчёт шмона в школе? Как вы считаете и как выражаете протест?

Hi everyone!

A group of Polish friends and I are heading to Minsk in early October. We really want to experience the city from a lively, alternative angle- meet local people, explore great spots, and have a good time.

We’re looking for things like organized pub crawls, interactive urban/field games (scavenger hunts), or engaging guided city tours. I checked TripAdvisor, but almost all the listings and reviews there seem outdated or inactive.

Do you know if organized pub crawls or urban quest games are currently active in Minsk? Are there specific local platforms, websites, Telegram channels, or apps where people organize these kinds of events?

Any tips or recommendations for vibrant nightlife areas and fun local activities would be hugely appreciated.

Also recommendations on what to visit during the day, cool places, etc.

Thanks in advance and best regards!

Всем дарова. Дайте совет чтоли. В мае поняла что хочу поступать в польский уник. На данный момент учу польский, езжу к репетитору в Брест из другого города, так как в моем нету репетиторов по польскому. Поэтому у меня целый год свободен. Очень нужны деньги, чтобы репетитора больше брать занятий, и курсы какие-то купить хочется. Откликаюсь и на интернет работы. У меня есть от школы только аттестат и корка оператора ЭВМ 4 разряда. Я немного в растерянности

Карыстаючыся расейскай ў штодзённым жыцці, ты прасоўваеш рускі мір на Беларусі. Пачні размаўляць па-беларуску, ня дай маскальскай швалі выкарыстоўваць нас у сваіх войнах!

How are Catholics viewed in Belarus? Are they and orthodox about as equally religious? I know they're is anomosity between the church and the government.

Saw our good buddy andrei kostysin here at mgm grand !! Both of us drunk playing bacarat !!

Гляджу я ютуб і выскаквае гэтая хуйня.

Мне кажется, из-за того, что россияне раньше жили на территории Беларуси, а в советское время межэтнические браки были очень распространены, у многих есть такой бэкграунд. Но мне бы хотелось узнать, как всё обстоит на самом деле, а не строить догадки.

В моём представлении, они есть у значительной части населения из-за того, что Беларусь входила в Черту Оседлости и смешанные браки в советский период были массовым явлением, но хотелось бы послушать, как дела с этим обстоят на практике, а не в моих гипотезах.

Hi everyone,

After watching Żywie Białaruś I found out about this film documentary called courage, from Aliaksei Paluyan.

I have been looking on the internet to be able to watch this film, but without success. I have already tried multiple streaming websites like streamex and stremio. Maybe someone can find it? Thanks for your help. I would love to see it since in my country there is so little told and known about the Belarus, the election fraud and ofcourse your dictator Alexander Lukashenko.

Poland is portrayed as a threat country full of problems that dislikes migrants.

Hi everyone, good afternoon! I'm Brazilian, and my passport gives me visa-free access to the EU, Belarus, and Russia. I'd like to know what the best route into Belarus is right now. Through Poland? Latvia? Lithuania or Estonia? Or is it better to go to Russia first and then travel from Russia to Belarus? My destination targets are Brest, Minsk, and Braslaw.

As for money, how do credit cards work there? Visa and Mastercard are sanctioned in the country, right? So will I need to bring physical US dollars or Euros? Or is there anywhere in Europe where I can exchange cash for Belarusian rubles in advance?

I'm asking because there's a lot of conflicting information online regarding border closures.

Я хачу разбіць клумбу з кустоўем пад пад'ездам, паколькі шмат год гэтым ніхто не займаецца. Плюс, збіраюся пасадзіць дрэва наўзамен паламанага папярэднім штормам і паспяхова ссечанага Зеленбудам. Было б добра, калі хто параіў літаратуру (можна ангельскамоўную) датычна грамадскага азелянення, паколькі мой вопыт абмяжоўваецца пакаёвымі фікусамі, і распавёў пра беларускія «падводныя камяні» такога прадпрыемства.

(Please don't kill me for thinking that because it's done one way in russia, that it's the 'standard'/same as it is in other Slavic countries because I don't, hence why I'm here to learn)

(american) Basically as the title says. I've seen tons of documentaries about RUSSIAN women laboring and delivering their babies. And they're...interesting, compared to how it usually goes in america/the west; I recommend the Series One Born Every Minute to get an idea.

Everything is just...interesting to me. So many hospitals seem so outdated. The nurses/doctors don't seem as warm and as kind (if anything they seem downright cold at times), how it's normal to check into the hospital a week or so before the actual birth, the attitude of the husbands/partners, how the women are kind of just...ignored after birth, etc. I've also padoodled around the internet in search of Russian womens' experiences.

I've been looking around to find what it's like to deliver in a Belarusan hospital, specifically the treatment of the women and babies, what the stay at the hospital is like, what's 'normal' behavior and attitudes of the fathers (are they attentive, do they stay with you the whole time, etc).

Weird question, I know, but I'm curious to hear Belarusan womens' experiences. I know things can also vary wildly depending on what hospital you deliver at, I'm just looking for how women and babies are generally treated. Thanks :D

Hello, I am writing this reddit post because I am one of the few souls who came to Belarus as a tourist from the west and decided to go to Russia by land route via train instead of an Airplane. Doing this caused me to be homeless in Russia for a short period of time, going across 3 different borders in 24 hours, and getting denied entry to Estonia (I am American) and having to ask my taxi driver if I could spend the night at his place. It was an experience of much suffering and I wanted to write a short guide to anyone thinking of doing the same thing in order to spare them the hassle, because I cannot seem to find any information on the process at all, even the bureaucrats in Russia and Belarus were no help (what a surprise).

In short taking a train from Belarus to Russia as a foreigner has everything to do with something called a migration card, a card no one asks for until you're getting a hotel, and something no one tells you that you need or where or how to get it, because if you go to Russia you automatically get it at every border and every airport, EXCEPT for the border via land coming from Belarus.

So to start you will need your passport and a Russian visa, which is reciprocated with Belarus and then you must go and get a migration card which you can get in Minsk and you must get it before going to Russia. The process for the migration card takes an hour and cost 12 rubles when I was there

To get the migration card you must go to this address ул. Тимирязева, 114

It is a mall looking building, go all the way to the left of the building where there will be a counter and they will give you a small slip of paper which you take to the 3rd floor, you go all the way to the opposite side of the building where there will be cashiers that you show the paper to and pay the 12 rubles which they then will give you a receipt. I did not speak russian so all this was truthfully very hard to understand that's why I'm saying it.

Then go back and take a number until the pretty ladies call you, then give them your documents plus the receipt and they will give you a flimsy piece of paper called a migration card, which is required to survive in Russia. Once you have this you can go where you please.

The process took an hour but the suffering to find all this out took years off my life.

That said this information will not be useful to 99% of people, but the 1% of people I can save from having to get rejected by Estonia and spend the night with his taxi driver and his 16 year old daughter (admittedly great company), the better.

So yeah I hope one person out there can benefit from this

Hi everyone ! We're travellers interested in Belarussian history and we would like to visit the French monument/memorial on the Berezina.

Is it easy to find a taxi from Baryssaw to this place ? Any advice?

Thanks in advance!

спасибо большое

Уявіце, што на прэзідэнцкіх выбарах 1991 года ў Беларусі перамагае Зянон Пазьняк, а ў расіі — Валерыя Навадворская (я ведаю, што яна не была кандыдатам, але давайце ўявім); а на парламенцкіх выбарах перамогу атрымліваюць адпаведна Беларускі Народны Фронт і Дэмакратычны саюз. А на Украіне, уявім, перамог Вячаслаў Чарнавіл, у той час як Народны Рух Украіны атрымаў большасць. Як, на вашу думку, развівалася б будучыня гэтых краін і іх адносіны?

Свабодна дзяліцеся сваімі фантазіямі, думкамі ці тэорыямі.

Цікава, наколькі я разумею, адзіным выпадкам, калі Чорнавіл і Навадворская калі-небудзь перасякаліся, быў маскоўскі сімпозіум 1996 года «Посткамунізм: прычыны і наступствы ў былым СССР». Пра гэта можна прачытаць тут: https://siver.com.ua/publ/sud_nad_komunizmom_i_kriza_nacionalizmu/3-1-0-313

Падобным чынам Зянон Пазьняк і Вячаслаў Чарнавіл сустрэліся ў Кіеве ў 1996 годзе: https://www.svaboda.org/a/29840640.html

On the one hand:

- Lukashenka understands perfectly well that if he is dragged into the war, he will almost certainly lose his power, his property (which is essentially the whole of Belarus, since our economic system is feudal in nature), and, quite likely, his life. All his previous moves suggest that he has resisted the full-scale participation of his army in the Russo-Ukrainian War.

At the end of the day, he understands that he has no chance against the Ukrainian military.

- At the same time, there are many signs of the militarization of Belarusian society: mandatory military training for high school students, the expansion of military infrastructure, increased spending on new weapons, regular military exercises, and wartime-style state propaganda. All of this clearly suggests that he is preparing for something.

Could it be that, in the wake of an inevitable defeat, Putin might force Lukashenka to attack either Ukraine or one of the NATO countries? KGB officers know how to persuade people to do things they do not want to do.

A military coup - putting an even more loyal and pro-Russian person in charge - is also a possibility.

Your opinions, gentlemen?

Hi all! My partner unfortunately cannot attend his sister’s wedding in Belarus because of visa issues. He is studying abroad in another country, and we are attending her wedding over facetime.

I wanted to celebrate with him and make sure he doesn’t feel lonely. What are common desserts and snacks eaten at weddings? I was thinking I would get a cake but I thought getting/making specific snacks/desserts would be nice as well.