Belarus

Belarus (Belarusian: ????????, Lacinka: Bielarus; Russian: ????????) is a landlocked nation-state in Eastern Europe, which borders Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. Its capital city is Minsk, and other important cities include Brest, Grodno, Gomel, Mogilev and Vitebsk.Throughout much of history, the area which is now known as Belarus was part of various countries including Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Russian Empire. Eventually, in 1922, Belarus became a republic in the Soviet Union as the Byelorussian SSR. The republic officially declared its sovereignty on 27 July 1990, and with the dissolution of the Soviet Union declared its independence as the Republic of Belarus on 25 August 1991. Since 1994, Alexander Lukashenko has been the state's president. Officially, the country is known as the Republic of Belarus (Belarusian: ?????????? ????????, Lacinka: Respublika Bielarus; Russian: ?????????? ????????, Respublika Belarus), while the short name is Belarus. Some consider the use of "Belorussia," an earlier version of the name, derogatory, with its direct implication of russification. The name has incorrectly been translated as "White Russia", a name that refers to a separate region.