Originally published at Belarus Digest. Please leave any comments there.

In anticipation of the New Year, Belarus Digest publishes Pact's overview of some of the most notable Belarus’ civil society developments in 2015.

For the fourth straight year, Pact presents its version of the top 10 civic initiatives in order to acknowledge individuals and ( Read more... )

Originally published at Belarus Digest. Please leave any comments there.

“Minsk Phenomenon” was the title of a 2013 Russian-language translation of University of Giessen historian Thomas Boehn’s book, which addressed the dominance of the city of Minsk in the development of contemporary Belarus.

In many ways the Belarusian capital is a symbol of ( Read more... )

Originally published at Belarus Digest. Please leave any comments there.

On 25 May the final game between the teams of Russia and Finland brought the Ice Hockey World Cup in Minsk to an end. The biggest international event in Belarus’ sovereign history lasted for 17 days and turned Minsk into a different place. The normally calm and strictly ( Read more... )

Originally published at Belarus Digest. Please leave any comments there.

In this issue of Belarus Civil Society Digest: demands for a special amnesty on the occasion of the ice hockey championship, training for social activists, competition for bike-friendly companies, discussions of Belarus investment possibilities and transparency of university ( Read more... )

Originally published at Belarus Digest. Please leave any comments there.

More than 70 thousand tourists are heading to Belarus ahead of the 2014 IIHF World Ice Hockey Championship. Many plan to take advantage of the temporary visa-free regime this May.

Though numerous wars and rebellions have resulted in the destruction of many architectural ( Read more... )

Originally published at Belarus Digest. Please leave any comments there.

It jumps out at you right after you come back from a foreign land: Minsk is not like Vilnius, Warsaw or Prague. Indeed, it is not like anywhere else.

And obviously, this concerns not only its "deserted streets" or the perception that there are "a lot of police." At least, it's ( Read more... )

Originally published at Belarus Digest. Please leave any comments there.

Over the recent months the rate of economic growth in Belarus has been gradually declining. For eleven months the GDP grew only by 0.9%. A decline in industrial production had a detrimental effect on economic growth. Despite the decrease in production volumes, the level of ( Read more... )

Originally published at Belarus Digest. Please leave any comments there.

Establishing oneself as a foreigner in a new city can be a challenge, not only because of cultural and linguistic barriers, but also due to social norms.

It’s often easier to meet and befriend fellow expatriates or members of the international community than it is to blend into ( Read more... )

Originally published at Belarus Digest. Please leave any comments there.

Universities in the United States often bring to mind school spirit, frat parties and caffeine-fueled late nights studying at the library. I was not expecting the same situation in Belarusian universities, but I did hope for some semblance of a college lifestyle.

What I found ( Read more... )

Originally published at Belarus Digest. Please leave any comments there.

A country where parachuting teddy bears and clapping in public are illegal? Where one in eight people is employed by the military or the police? Where nobody speaks English at all? Why would anyone want to go there? These were the questions that friends and family asked when I ( Read more... )