Belarus, March 2006

3440 Views 39 Replies 17 Participants Last post by BL, Apr 18, 2006

Maris VX

Discussion Starter · Apr 8, 2006

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

See less See more

32

1 - 20 of 40 Posts

Geborgenheit

· #2 · Apr 8, 2006

Thank you !

Minsk looks okay. How were the people in Belarus? Are they friendly ?

Maris VX

Discussion Starter · #3 · Apr 8, 2006

People are nice and friendly, but are scared to talk about politics.

Central streets of Minsk look very good at night, however, gap between Minsk and rest of Belarus is growing. And there`s an unofficial billionaire, first ice hockey player in the country, owner of the Boeing jet and owner of the several country residences.

Geborgenheit

· #4 · Apr 8, 2006

Maris VX said:
People are nice and friendly, but are scared to talk about politics.

Central streets of Minsk look very good at night, however, gap between Minsk and rest of Belarus is growing. And there`s an unofficial billionaire, first ice hockey player in the country, owner of the Boeing jet and owner of the several country residences.

Is he Lukashenko' s brother ?

P.S.I was sure, that people there were friendly and nice

Maris VX

Discussion Starter · #5 · Apr 8, 2006

Ita Simpsone said:
Is he Lukashenko' s brother ?
P.S.I was sure, that people there were friendly and nice

Yes, Ita, a person similar to Lukashenko

AtlanticaC5

· #6 · Apr 8, 2006

Interesting thread Maris, thanks for the pics! Some nice buildings but lots of concrete it seems like. This is cool in a scary way! And I who thought my house was pre-fabricated...

See less See more

S.T.A.S.

· #7 · Apr 8, 2006

Belarus sucks...your pics are excellent...prety much what I anticipated Belarus to be!!!

Gatis

· #8 · Apr 8, 2006

Wow, great picture thread! Thanks!

FREKI

· #9 · Apr 8, 2006

Interesting... and nice pics too!

Svajoklis

· #10 · Apr 8, 2006

ugh..what a place!

Jarmo K

· #11 · Apr 8, 2006

oh...

back in the ussr... doesn't look good but would be interesting to visit the country.

btw, this is

See less See more

Singidunum

· #12 · Apr 9, 2006

Great tour! Minsk cneter is not ugly at all but these commieblocks are horrible indeed.

Maris so you went there as an election observer? Have you seen the results report? The lady that was reporting it from the Central Election commission (http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/1971/belarus20822yd.jpg) actually rapturously applauded after she read Lukashenko's name :|

Maris VX

Discussion Starter · #13 · Apr 9, 2006

Yes, I saw everything, yesterdays `inauguration` as well. I was OSCE/ODIHR observer in Belarus for the second time and - quite unique - my partner was Lithuanian (OSCE observers always work in pairs), just because I got my visa after waiting seventeen days and I was allowed to enter Belarus literally in the very last moment. As I speak and understand Russian and Belarussian too, it was more easy to collect more information. I also know many people in Belarus, unfortunately a couple of them are in prison now...

But Lukashenko`s days are almost numbered, he cannot withstand Gazprom/Kremlin pressure.

And Yermoshina (CEC chairwoman)... oh, she`s stunning...Luka stunning

Singidunum

· #14 · Apr 9, 2006

Maris VX said:
Yes, I saw everything, yesterdays `inauguration` as well. I was OSCE/ODIHR observer in Belarus for the second time and - quite unique - my partner was Lithuanian (OSCE observers always work in pairs), just because I got my visa after waiting seventeen days and I was allowed to enter Belarus literally in the very last moment. As I speak and understand Russian and Belarussian too, it was more easy to collect more information. I also know many people in Belarus, unfortunately a couple of them are in prison now...

But Lukashenko`s days are almost numbered, he cannot withstand Gazprom/Kremlin pressure.

And Yermoshina (CEC chairwoman)... oh, she`s stunning...Luka stunning

Inauguration was a bigger parade then the victory parade in Moscow :sleepy: With all the red carpets trhough out the square, army members of all kinds, flashing lights ... like a scandalous circus. I hope you didn`t have much trouble in Minsk. I know one of observers was the president of New Belgrade municipality - Ozegovic.

Maris VX

Discussion Starter · #15 · Apr 9, 2006

No, I haven`t, OSCE observers didn`t get into trouble (OSCE mission includes observers from Uzbekistan to Canada). Sometimes I watch Belarus TV - www.tvr.by; independent Belarussian radio airing from Poland www.belradio.fm .

Kim André

· #16 · Apr 10, 2006

Nice Church in the old town there..

kay:

Troll_for_life

· #17 · Apr 10, 2006

S.T.A.S. said:
Belarus sucks...your pics are excellent...prety much what I anticipated Belarus to be!!!

You aren't really smart, are you?

S.T.A.S.

· #18 · Apr 10, 2006

Trool for whatever: define smart and then I'll tell u what I am...and may be tell u what U are!

Troll_for_life

· #19 · Apr 10, 2006

You have already defined what you are.
And I definetly do not need your definition of me.

Saying bad things about somebody's country just to spam isn't really wise.
A smart person/grown up person wouldn't act like this.
You can dislike it's parlement or whatever, but don't say tings like Belarus sucks.

S.T.A.S.

· #20 · Apr 10, 2006

Troll for whatever:U're an idiot who thinks he knows everything and I am not gonna confront u...If u didn't get what I wrote about Belarus then, I should let u know that I was speaking generally and not refering to specific things...U got it wrong dude!

1 - 20 of 40 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.