Belarus

American  

[byel-uh-roos, bel‑] / ˌbjɛl əˈrus, ˌbɛl‑ /

noun

1. Formerly White Russian Soviet Socialist Republic.  Formerly Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic,.  a republic in eastern Europe, north of Ukraine: formerly a part of the Soviet Union. 80,154 sq. mi. (207,600 sq. km). Minsk.

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Belarus British  

/ ˌbɛl-, -ˌrʊs, ˌbjɛləʊˈrʌʃə, ˈbɛləˌrʌs /

noun

1. Also called: Byelorussian Republic.   Bielorussia.   White Russia.  a republic in E Europe; part of the medieval Lithuanian and Polish empires before being occupied by Russia; a Soviet republic (1919–91); in 1997 formed a close political and economic union with Russia: mainly low-lying and forested. Languages: Belarussian; Russian. Religion: believers are mostly Christian. Currency: rouble. Capital: Minsk. Pop: 9 625 888 (2013 est). Area: 207 600 sq km (80 134 sq miles)

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Belarus Cultural  

1. Republic in eastern Europe, bordered to the northwest by Russia, Lithuania, and Latvia, to the northeast, east, and southeast by Russia, to the south by Ukraine, and to the west by Poland. Its capital and largest city is Minsk.

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Discover More

Belarus is also known as White Russia or Belorussia.

This former member of the Soviet Union declared its independence in 1991.

Example Sentences

But skaters and officials from Russia and Belarus may compete only as neutral athletes, meaning without their national symbols of flag and anthem.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2026

Viktoriia Safonova of Belarus also competed as a neutral athlete.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2026

But the Viasna rights group counts 852 political prisoners still behind bars Belarus.

From Barron's • Jun. 26, 2026

Officials say Belarus, where Moscow bases tactical nuclear weapons, could be a crucial player in that plan.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026

I was born in Narewka, a rural village in northeastern Poland, near Białystok, not far from the border with Belarus.

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson