BY. Baltarusija / Belarus

[Maris VX]

This wasn`t my first visit to Belarus. This time I visited capital city Minsk, Gomel city and Gomel region in the south east of the country. I haven`t much time for photograpghy though...


OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission HQ in hotel Belarus - highest building in the center of Minsk


Svisloch river and Sports Palace


Hotel district - hotels "Yubileinaja" and "Planeta"


Hotel Belarus from Hotel Yubileinaja


Poster "For "Belarus" - this administrative campaign started in autumn 2004, unofficially promoting leader of the country


Typical voter information point in the countryside


Typical "back to USSR" information stand


Rogachov town, Gomel region


Rogachov, local power centre and territorial election commission, I experienced some brainwashing there during election night and met Olympic champion (1972 Munich) Nikolay Gorbachev


Candidates, not in alphabetic order, opposition candidate is in the far right side


Odd entrance into the polling station; signs "bar", "toilet", "wardrobe"


Polling station in the quiet countryside, it`s not allowed to take any photos inside


Soviet style fast-food eatery


Commieblock for everyone


Lenin kolkhoz


Each town and village has a club of its own - this was a brand new one


Authoritarian leader himself


Day after, City of Gomel (2nd biggest in Belarus)


Milinkevich - opposition leader


Ministry of Information and Ministry of Culture


Central Minsk, view from hotel Belarus - Afghanistan memorial, Old Town (that`s what`s left from it after the WW2), Palace of the Republic, October square and presidential residence - all in one


Tent city in the October square - first hours of 80 hour long protest


Founder of the KGB - Felix Dzerzhinsky - there are hundreds and hundreds of Dzerzhinsky and Lenin monuments throughout Belarus


Luka loyalist government and puppet parliament HQ in the (Soviet Belarus) Independence square


Minsk City council in the same square, square itself and underground mall is under construction now


Heart of the Old town


Hotel Belarus and Svisloch river from the Old Town


Central Election commission HQ - police officers ordered to erase this photo...


Typical grand Stalinistic architecture from the 1950s, two central streets of Minsk are monuments to Soviet 1930-1960 monumentalism




Tent city

[Ežiukas]

Terrible situation But the saddest thing is that Belarussian's people don't wanna any changes in there political life. Are they brainwashed or they just scared but if they would not want Luka go away in full-scale in all country then it will never happen and this is very very bad for belarus

Thaks for this thread Maris very not plesent photos at my opinion. I realize that I have to step over a border of lithuania in south and I will get my self into county wich is like lithuania was 20 year ago

P.S: You better make this kind of thread in section "Už sienos" ("Abroad")

[Romas]

Nia trэba mucic vodu, spadar Maris VX, kali laska.
Hэta byli samyja dziamakratyčnyja vybary našaha prazydэnta Aliaksandra Ryhoroviča.

[vytauc]

Well done, Maris, that was very interesting, thanks

As far as I understood, you were one of the elections observers? Could you please write more about what was realy happening there?

[DeSadas]

yes, everyone is very interested in our neighbours and new president

[deep'as]

Pirmadienį važiuosiu į Minską ir aš. Tikiuosi bus laiko padaryt keletą kadrų.

[vytauc]

Pirmadienį važiuosiu į Minską ir aš. Tikiuosi bus laiko padaryt keletą kadrų.

Būk atsargus ten- KGB lietuvių su fotikais nemėgsta
Nepaisant to- laukiam vaizdų

[deep'as]

Būk atsargus ten- KGB lietuvių su fotikais nemėgsta
Nepaisant to- laukiam vaizdų

Prieš išsitraukiant fotiką reiks gerai apsidairyt ar Lukašenkos šnipai aplink nesitrainioja

[Linas]

Pirmadienį važiuosiu į Minską ir aš. Tikiuosi bus laiko padaryt keletą kadrų.

Žiūrėk, kad nesupakuotų, praėjusį pavasarį teko ten būti, tai milicija teiravosi, ką fotografuoju, nors buvau tik kaip turistas ir ne Minske, o Vakarų Baltarusijoje, buvusioje LDK.

[Didmiestis]

Liudy Dobray...

[deep'as]

Žiūrėk, kad nesupakuotų, praėjusį pavasarį teko ten būti, tai milicija teiravosi, ką fotografuoju, nors buvau tik kaip turistas ir ne Minske, o Vakarų Baltarusijoje, buvusioje LDK.

Vidinėj kišenėj nešiosiuos Lukašenkos nuotrauką, jei ko paklaus tai išsitrauksiu ir sakysiu ja za Lukasenko

[Maris VX]

Well done, Maris, that was very interesting, thanks

As far as I understood, you were one of the elections observers? Could you please write more about what was realy happening there?

Ačiū, Vytauc, this was my second OSCE/ODIHR observation mission in Belarus (just as observer I have visited Brest, Gomel, Kobrin, Rogachov, Minsk etc.). In fact, I am monitoring situation in Belarus every week, I also know many nice people there - president of our partner organisation is in prison for two years now. What I really enjoyed - my partner was a Lithuanian (OSCE observers always work in pairs), also with a good knowledge about Belarus.

Generally - people are scared to talk about Belarusian (not foreign) politics, space for business people is very limited and shrinking, there`s only few free papers left (printed in Smolensk - Nasha Niva and Narodnaja Volya), kolkhozs can survive because of subsidies, based on gas, oil, arms transit and reexport, and cheap prices for gas and oil (there are numbers of oil refineries and factories in Belarus, almost 30% of Russian oil and 20 % of Russian gas transit goes through Belarus etc.).

[vytauc]

Ačiū, Vytauc, this was my second OSCE/ODIHR observation mission in Belarus (just as observer I have visited Brest, Gomel, Kobrin, Rogachov, Minsk etc.). In fact, I am monitoring situation in Belarus every week, I also know many nice people there - president of our partner organisation is in prison for two years now. What I really enjoyed - my partner was a Lithuanian (OSCE observers always work in pairs), also with a good knowledge about Belarus.

Generally - people are scared to talk about Belarusian (not foreign) politics, space for business people is very limited and shrinking, there`s only few free papers left (printed in Smolensk - Nasha Niva and Narodnaja Volya), kolkhozs can survive because of subsidies, based on gas, oil, arms transit and reexport, and cheap prices for gas and oil (there are numbers of oil refineries and factories in Belarus, almost 30% of Russian oil and 20 % of Russian gas transit goes through Belarus etc.).

Thanks, Maris, what you said is quite close to what I thought it was there

[blitz]

Quality thread, Maris. Thanks!

[Svecias]

Žiūrėk, kad nesupakuotų, praėjusį pavasarį teko ten būti, tai milicija teiravosi, ką fotografuoju, nors buvau tik kaip turistas ir ne Minske, o Vakarų Baltarusijoje, buvusioje LDK.

O kuri Baltarusijos dalis tavo manymu nepriklausė LDK ?

[UMBAS]

Aciu, Svecias, jau norejau to paties paklausti...

[syle]

/\ Gal omeny turėjo buvusias tarpukario Lietuvos žemes, bet ten nelabai vakarai, arba Jotvingių žemes.

[Maris VX]

Most likely, I will visit Karaliaučiai in less than two months (and will have more time for photography), so - new, interesting threads are coming soon !

[Mantas]

Most likely, I will visit Karaliaučiai in less than two months (and will have more time for photography), so - new, interesting threads are coming soon !

Oh, Karaliaučius is a very interesting topic here

[blitz]

Can't wait for the photos, Maris! You sure seem to travel a lot. Thanks for not forgetting us and showing us the pictures!

The historic German-Lithuanian-Polish town of Karaliaučius/Koenigsberg/Koroliewiec, illegally occupied by Russia is a very sensitive subject here, and the photos will be highly appreciated