Belarus is often referred to as Europe’s last dictatorship. This backed up by the fact Belarus has the lowest democracy index rating of any country in Europe.

Belarus has been in the news a lot recently following the election in August 2020 which is widely believed to have been rigged. I really can’t do this topic justice, The Bunker, a podcast I listen to regularly did a really good job of dissecting the political situation in Belarus - I definitely recommend giving it a listen.

Belarus is over 40% forest and is home to one of the last and largest remaining parts of the huge primaeval forest that once covered the European Plain – the Białowieża Forest. This forest was also the setting for a, particularly noteworthy event. On December 8, 1991 (the day I turned 5), the leaders of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine agreed to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in a hunting lodge in the forest.