Minsk, the capital and largest city of Belarus. *Photo from Wikipedia
July 3 is Belarus’ Independence Day, celebrates the liberation of Minsk from Nazi occupation by Soviet troops in 1944.
The decision to celebrate Independence Day on July 3, the day of the liberation of Belarus from the Nazis, was made during the 1996 national referendum proposed by President Alexander Lukashenko.
After an initial period of independent feudal consolidation, Belarusian lands were incorporated into the Kingdom of Lithuania, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and later in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian Empire. In the aftermath of the 1917 Russian Revolution, Belarus declared independence as the Belarusian People’s Republic, which was conquered by Soviet Russia. The Socialist Soviet Republic of Byelorussia became a founding constituent republic of the Soviet Union in 1922 and was renamed as the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (Byelorussian SSR). Belarus lost almost half of its territory to Poland after the Polish–Soviet War of 1919-1921. Much of the borders of Belarus took their modern shape in 1939, when some lands of the Second Polish Republic were reintegrated into it after the Soviet invasion of Poland, and were finalized after World War II. The parliament of the republic declared the sovereignty of Belarus on July 27, 1990, and during the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Belarus declared independence on August 25, 1991.
Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, formerly and sometimes known as Byelorussia, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe bordered by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest.
In commemoration of the day, we introduce you to beautiful Belarusian women living in Japan.
*Click the photo below and read their stories!
“I will keep staying here for the rest of my life. I believe that I can’t do my job in any country but Japan. I truly love my business. Japan is convenient in many ways and there are many things I like here.” – Barysiuk Viktoryia, Belarusian restaurant manager
*Reference: Wikipedia
