Belarus

American  

[byel-uh-roos, bel‑] / ˌbyɛl 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

Lukashenko, in a recent visit to Pyongyang, agreed with Kim to sign a “friendship treaty” between Belarus and North Korea.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

Potash, the potassium-rich component of fertilizers, has also been in short supply in recent years, in part because of economic sanctions on Belarus and Russia, which are major potash producers.

From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026

Trade between the two countries is "modest" but areas for growth include Belarus exporting pharmaceutical products and food to North Korea, Ryzhenkov said.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus since 1994 and has swung firmly behind Moscow since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022, laid a bouquet on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 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