Background
After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than have any of the other former Soviet republics, and since 2022 Belarus has facilitated Russia's war in Ukraine, which was launched in part from Belarusian territory. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and economic integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the accord, serious implementation has yet to take place and negotiations on further integration have been contentious. Since his election in July 1994 as the country's first and only directly elected president, Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means and a centralized economic system. Government restrictions on political and civil freedoms, freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion have remained in place. Restrictions on political freedoms have grown increasingly strained following the disputed presidential election in August 2020. The election results sparked largescale protests as members of the opposition and civil society criticized the election’s validity. Alyaksandr LUKASHENKA has remained in power as the disputed winner of the presidential election after quelling protests in late 2020.    Â
Location
Eastern Europe, east of Poland
Area Comparative
Slightly less than twice the size of Kentucky; slightly smaller than Kansas
Maritime Claims
none (landlocked)
Climate
Cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime
Population Distribution
A fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations
Natural Hazards
Large tracts of marshy land
Geography Note
Landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes
