Belarus Archives

Russia and Belarus: Same Difference?

Filed under: Belarus ~ Europe ~ Russia

In 2002, two years into the "presidency" of Vladimir Putin and three years after he became Prime Minister, Russia had the world's third-highest rate of suicide among teenagers and was one of only four countries in the world with a teenage male suicide rate above 30 per 100,000. Recently, with nearly a decade of rule by Putin under its belt, a study confirmed that (based on 2004 data) Russia and its sister state Belarus are in the top three in the world for overall suicide rate in the general population, with a rate of suicide per 100,000 people three times higher than that in the United States.

Russia also has a divorce rate over 30% higher than that of the United States, placing it in the world's top three in that category as well -- once again right next to sister state Belarus. The Russian divorce rate isn't surprising if you know that Russia's rate of domestic violence is also stratospheric, with one Russian woman being murdered by her husband every 40 minutes for an average of 14,000 such killings per year -- whereas in the United States, with twice the population Russia has, the figure is only 1,200 per year. This means Russia's rate of spousal homicide is nearly 30 times greater than America's, and makes it suprising that Russia's rate of divorce isn't even higher. The explanation may be that it's somewhat difficult to file for divorce when you are six feet under.

Many might find it surprising that Russia is keeping company with lowly Belarus in these categories. After all, isn't Belarus a Byzantine quagmire governed by a madman, whilst Russia is a surging economic dynamo governed by a beloved patriot? But of course, the image that Russia is really different from Belarus is sheer poppycock. If the people of Russia really loved their leader to the tune of 80% as public opinion polls claim, would they be killing themselves in droves and beating their wives to death with blunt instruments? It seems unlikely. And how could they love a leader who presides over the net loss of up to a million Russians from the population every year and an average wage of $3 per hour? What's far more likely is that the propaganda machine operated by the proud KGB spy who rules Russia is more effective, being financed by oil revenues Belarus doesn't enjoy, and creates a better illusion. And that's perhaps the most disturbing Russian reality of all.

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Kim Zigfeld · June 22, 2007 3:52 PM · Comments (2) · TrackBacks (0)

How Many Words is This One Worth?

Filed under: Belarus ~ Iran

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called President Alexander Lukashenko a close friend Monday, and Lukashenko returned the compliment by saying Belarus was "ready for cooperation in all directions." Ahmadinejad met with Lukashenko at the start of a two-day trip to Belarus that was to include the signing of a car deal, a tour of the national library and a visit with members of the Iranian Diaspora. Ahmadinejad, who was greeted by an honor guard at Lukashenko's administrative headquarters, said stronger ties between Iran and Belarus would be good for global security. "We have a huge potential [for cooperation] in the long term," Ahmadinejad said in televised comments, speaking through an interpreter. "The strengthening of relations between Belarus and Iran fosters support for regional and global security." Ahmadinejad said he considered Lukashenko one of his best friends, the Belarussian leader's press service said.

--The Moscow Times, Tuesday May 22nd

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Kim Zigfeld · May 22, 2007 1:37 AM · Comments (4) · TrackBacks (0)

Belarusian Protest Babes Remember Chernobyl

Filed under: Belarus ~ Europe ~ Protest Babes

Every year, the Belarusian opposition holds a demonstration to commemorate the world's worst nuclear disaster, which to this day still affects their country. You will want to check out Charter 97 for all the details, including more picture and briefings on police beatings. However, I know what you're all actually interested in is the protest babes... so click "read more".

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Robert Mayer · April 27, 2007 9:02 AM · Comments (132) · TrackBacks (0)

That infamous censored media

Filed under: Belarus ~ Europe

Suehp Rom has a cool post at his blog. The media in Iran is censored and satellite dishes are officially banned. But a picture reveals it all.

While not covering the entire cityscape, I took a similar picture during my time in Belarus. And while news censorship was pretty bad, the worst was the general programming. One can only take so many bad soap operas... no wonder there were so many dishes.

It looks like a lot of people make do.

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Robert Mayer · March 29, 2007 2:59 PM · Comments (6) · TrackBacks (0)

Lukashenko lays down his law

Filed under: Belarus ~ Europe

On March 25, Belorussian pro-democracy parties staged a rally commemorating the independence of the first Belorussian state, as well as the week-long rallies that took place in October Square following elections that were deemed neither free nor fair. How the government reacted would determine how serious it was about overtures it had been making about better relations with the European Union. With several MEPs on hand, there'd be plenty of witnesses to whatever happened. EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso even said that he was prepared for a "full partnership" with Belarus if it consented to democratic reforms.

But for all intents and purposes, it does not appear as if that will be the case.

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Robert Mayer · March 26, 2007 9:43 AM · Comments (2) · TrackBacks (0)