Belarus is a landlocked Eastern European country closely aligned with Russia. It has been ruled by President Alexander Lukashenko since 1994, and political freedoms are severely restricted.

Emerging from the collapse of the Soviet Union, Belarus retained many Soviet-style policies under Lukashenko’s rule, resisting democratization efforts.

• 1919: Byelorussian SSR established
• 1991: Independence from USSR
• 1994: Lukashenko elected president
• 2020: Mass protests against election results