{"id":5976,"date":"2025-07-18T09:38:57","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T09:38:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zoa.com\/2025\/?p=5976"},"modified":"2025-07-28T17:17:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T17:17:18","slug":"belarus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zoa.com\/2025\/travel\/belarus\/","title":{"rendered":"Belarus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For decades, US relations with Belarus have been strained due to concerns over human rights, democracy, and Belarus’s close ties with Russia. During those years, getting a visa to Belarus required lots of paperwork, complex fees, and submitting one’s passport to a Belarusian embassy. With the continuing conflict in Ukraine, the US State Department advised DO NOT TRAVEL <\/strong>to Belarus. I didn’t think I’d ever get to Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Surprise, surprise! In March 2025, relations between the US and Belarus’s President-for-Life Alexander Lukashenko<\/a> warmed considerably. As a result, Americans can now apply on-line for an e-visa for Belarus<\/a>. Not wanting to miss this opportunity, I uploaded a scan of my passport, proof of a hotel reservation and \u20ac65. Within a week, I had a visa to one of Europe’s least visited nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus is Europe’s last dictatorship. Lukashenko has been president since 1994. To remain in power, he abolished term limits, disbanded the supreme court, established a one-party congress, took control of the national voting system, jailed his opposition and turned the state-owned television channel into a propaganda service<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Bus route from Vilnius to Minsk<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Border between Lithuania and Belarus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Alexander Lukashenko<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
With fellow traveler Bart<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With no commercial flights between the EU and Belarus, getting to Belarus isn’t easy. First, I had to fly to Vilnius in Lithuania. From there, I took a bus to Minsk, the capital of Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’d hoped for a quick journey between these two capital cities, but my bus ride took all day. At the Lithuania-Belarus border, police from both countries thoroughly search every car, truck, bus, passenger and their luggage. Although I was lucky to be detained only 2 hours entering Belarus, my return to Lithuania a week later took 10 hours! Apparently, there’s serious concern about anyone traveling between the EU and Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Minsk, I met up with my adventurous friend Bart from Belgium — with whom I’ve previously visited Somalia, Chad, South Sudan and North Korea. Bart’s fluency with Russian was handy in Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Congress & Supreme Court<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
State Philharmonic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
National Ballet & Opera<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
National Circus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Although I had low expectations before coming to Belarus, my first impressions of Minsk were positive:<\/p>\n\n\n\n