Gleb Gurami believes the parties he organises in a Minsk nightclub are an outlet for young Belarusians reeling from the exodus that followed mass protests and a political crackdown in 2020 "I think this mission of underground culture helps a lot of people," the 39-year-old promoter told the media at the Modul Art Platform club near the Svislach River in the Belarus capital Minsk was once renowned for its punk scene dating back to the last years of the Soviet Union and the artistic and cultural flourishing after independence in the early 1990s But the landscape has changed radically over the past five years Major demonstrations against autocratic President Alexander Lukashenko in 2020 were put down by force and hundreds of thousands of Belarusians -- many of them young people -- fled abroad can de facto no longer perform in Belarus or Russia and tours internationally to audiences of exiles many musicians have been persecuted for their support of the anti-Lukashenko protests or their opposition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 Additional Western sanctions have further isolated the country Gurami said he wants his wild club nights to "give people a chance to relax" so as to avoid "depression" "People should not have to suffer because of stories that do not depend on them "A lot of bands split up after 2020," said singer Vadim Shulga said His band PlemYA was founded 10 years ago and used to play in "Poland The 46-year-old said that of its original seven members "Now we only perform in Belarus or Russia," he said bitterly we used to earn 1,000 euros ($1,800) or more" in fees per concert He said the music scene in Belarus "has not disappeared" but it is hard not to be affected by the tensions in a tightly controlled society where the authorities can decide whether bands are allowed to perform or not "There is a certain amount of censorship," said Svetlana Ramonka Now it's a bit more complicated," she said At a concert by a Russian alternative rock band in Minsk in January organisers sold 260 tickets priced between 25 and 40 euros each "We're delighted to see you," the singer told the crowd in the trendy bar sang and hugged each other during an hour-and-a-half of respite from an oppressive reality a 21-year-old geography teacher and "big fan" of music said he was pleased that "more gigs are being organised" Gurami said he wants to face the future with "hope" imagining a world in which Belarusian artists can once again perform in Europe and vice versa "I hope we will manage to break down this invisible wall," he said Dec 6, 2022 | Society A young Sudanese man who drowned in a river on Poland’s border with Belarus has been buried in a ceremony organised by the local Muslim community Siddig Musa Hamid Eisa, 21, is one of at least 20 people to have died on the border since Belarus began engineering tens of thousands of attempted crossings by migrants and asylum seekers – mostly from Africa Asia and the Middle East – in the summer of 2021 He is the sixth among them to be buried at the Muslim cemetery in the village of Bohoniki in northeast Poland, where the Lipka Tatars – one of Europe’s oldest Muslim communities – have lived for hundreds of years Siddig Musa Hamid Eisa is believed to have died over two months ago But his body was only retrieved from the Svislach river after which it was identified by his family but he died,” his sister told Piotr Czaban a journalist and activist with the Podlasie Voluntary Humanitarian Aid group Czaban reported that Siddig Musa Hamid Eisa had tried to enter Poland with three other men in early October he lost his balance and the heavy backpack he was wearing dragged him under the water Two of the other Sudanese man he was with were reportedly pushed back into Belarus by the Polish authorities. The other managed to enter Poland and is now being held at a detention centre in the city of Przemyśl he contacted me and asked for my help in finding his friend’s body He indicated the approximate location where it might be,” said Czaban who passed the information on to the police According to Polish border guard spokeswoman Anna Michalska four dead bodies have been found on the Polish side of the border with Belarus this year including information provided by the Belarusian side that means at least 20 people have died since the start of the migration crisis But activists emphasise that the true figure is unknown and could be higher According to the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights Syrian man who drowned crossing into Poland buried as riots break out on Belarusian border Among the five others to be buried in the Bohoniki Muslim cemetery was 19-year-old Syrian Ahmad Al Hasan, who drowned in the Bug river last year after allegedly being pushed in by Belarusian guards Another was buried in the Catholic cemetery in Sokółka; others have been repatriated to their countries of origin an initiative bringing together NGOs that offer help to those trying to cross the border warns that the new barrier has “not reduced the humanitarian crisis” UN: Belarus and Poland “violating rights of refugees and migrants” at border It says that “many human rights violations and abuses continue” and that we expect more cases of deaths from hypothermia this winter as well” which he said “violates international law” Poland’s government says that it has a responsibility to prevent illegal crossings on its border which is also the eastern frontier of the European Union and NATO It also argues that this will discourage others from putting their lives in danger by attempting to cross EU Council president visits Poland to “express solidarity in face of hybrid attack” by Belarus Main image credit: Kancelaria Premiera/Flickr (under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist , , The proportion of Poles saying the US has a positive influence on the world has also fallen to its lowest recorded level , , Poland has recorded the strongest rise in consumer sentiment across the EU this year , , , The stunt has also been criticised by Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland as well as politicians from Poland’s main ruling party Apr 30, 2025 | , , , That response will include “large Polish and NATO exercises in Poland” Apr 29, 2025 | , , , Those employed in Poland work on average the third-longest hours in the European Union Apr 28, 2025 | , , , , Westinghouse and Bechtel were first chosen in 2022 as partners on the 192 billion zloty ($51 billion) project please consider helping us to continue and expand it [email protected] Copyright © 2025 Notes From Poland | Design jurko studio | Code by 2sides.pl Senior Research Fellow at the Global Europe Centre ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Weronika Strzyżyńska is currently studying journalism at Goldsmiths as a Scott Trust Bursary recipient She  has written on issues immigration and Brexit for New Statesman and Prospect Agnieszka Wądołowska is managing editor of Notes from Poland She has previously worked for Gazeta.pl and Tokfm.pl and contributed to Gazeta Wyborcza ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland and assistant professor of history at the Pedagogical University of Krakow He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications The Independent and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Stanley Bill is the founder and editor-at-large of Notes from Poland.He is also Senior Lecturer in Polish Studies and Director of the Polish Studies Programme at the University of Cambridge Stanley has spent more than ten years living in Poland He founded Notes from Poland in 2014 as a blog dedicated to personal impressions cultural analysis and political commentary He is committed to the promotion of deeper knowledge and understanding of Poland He is the Chair of the Board of the Notes from Poland Foundation ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Professor of European Studies at Oxford University ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Professor at the Institute of History of the Jagiellonian University ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Executive Director of Taube Family Foundation ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Associate Professor at the Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Science ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Minsk is a city that brings people together have remained a secret: The idyllic city center is home to impressive historical buildings alongside futuristic architecture and a wealth of hip cafés and restaurants fish or cycle amid thousands of hectares of forest Passengers can now choose from four weekly flights departing from Munich to the Belarusian capital Belavia Belarusian Airlines will depart for Minsk with an Embraer E175 jetliner Minsk Airport offers an excellent range of destinations with attractive connecting flights to such countries as Kazakhstan The flight schedule also features more distant locales such as the Lebanese capital of Beirut and Baku in Azerbaijan The flying time from Munich to Minsk is just two hours Representatives of Belavia and Munich Airport were on hand to celebrate the premiere of the new connection to Belarus Passengers on the first flight were treated to traditional gingerbread hearts This has to be one of the more unusual Waldorf Astoria hotel openings in the pipeline… The Waldorf Astoria Minsk is expected to open in March 2025 (though isn’t accepting reservations yet) and will be known as the Grand Hotel Minsk Belarus is a country that’s closely aligned with Russia and which has been growing increasingly isolated from European Union countries in recent years which I find to be an even stranger branding choice.Was this hotel supposed to be a Viceroy?Bottom lineThe Waldorf Astoria Minsk is expected to open in March 2025 and should be Belarus’ most luxurious hotel though I can’t say that returning to Minsk is near the top of my travel list at the moment… Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" This is a disgrace to have a hotel open in the dictatorship and lackey to Russia I've been watching the construction for the past 18 months or so The Basilian (Curio Collection) is part of the same development next to the river That opened about 18 months ago and has 39 rooms This will definitely be the most luxurious hotel in Minsk when it opens but should be a big success... This will definitely be the most luxurious hotel in Minsk when it opens but should be a big success The number of tourists visiting Minsk in recent years has been increasing rapidly I wonder how long it will be until this project stops because Belarus is increasingly isolated in the world Belarus is becoming increasingly isolated by the 'Western world' The amount of money from the Middle East being invested in Belarus currently is quite staggering I love that the average gaslit westerner who doesn't realise it's their own deep state / establishment who are the "baddies" have there eyes shut to what's really going on in the world :) Do you realize that Putin is pretty much of a McCarthyist Been to 29 Waldorf Astoria all over the world Belorus is on my list to visit ( my niece located my great grandfather grave in Vitebsk) but definitely not now Some similar design tones to the WA Kuwait I wouldn’t hold your breath for it to open any time soon Look at what happened with the Hyatt and the Kempinski @the clowns who are joking about lying why nobody should go to Belarus - the country has thousands of political prisoners including one Nobel prize laureate behind bars and another in forced exile It summarily arrests foreigners and uses them as for its negotiations with the West A German citizen was just released earlier this month after being sentenced to death But you forgot that every prisoner swap means a bad guy set free Unless of course we also detain idiots doing similar things from the other side as political pawns too Hmm might be time to organize an erotic journey from Milan to Minsk to check it out As it’s an American company questions should be asked Or I assume they simply use the name to fool people given it would be difficult to take legal action Hilton are still fully operating all their hotels in Russia And it's Middle Eastern money financing this hotel and other recent openings in Minsk Shame on me but I didn’t realise that some global hotel brands were still operating in Russia can’t boycott them on work trips but certainly will for my holidays Now be a good brainwashed Westerner and demand your employer stop doing business with them or you will go on strike Don't be a bad brainwashed hypocrite and cancel a brand only when it's convenient for you @eskimo that's some weird ass analysis my guy "not allowed to calibrate risk/benefit" lmao I can do anything I want because I calibrate risk/benefit and it's convenient for me not because I believe in the reason or cause You can go rob a bank if risk/benefit is in your favor You're supposed to not rob anyone even if you can get away with it I’m sure it will be rebranded to a Tr*#mp property once his family has moved to White Russia in shame It has a casino so all good…they know how to bankrupt a casino better than anyone Same country that forced a commercial plane to emergency land from its airspace just to arrest someone they didnt like and not long after given a Presidential pardon and released Businesses pull out of Russia not because of Russia but because of the idiots who would cancel the brand Unfortunately there are so many idiots that losing Russia is cheaper than losing the idiots I'm surprised that you actually made a fair point this time there are bunch of people who would cancel any brands operating in Russia while they'll continue to buy brands not only operating in Of course someone would say that I'm talking about some country in the Middle East with the name starting with "I" but that's totally ignorant about what's happening.. but that's totally ignorant about what's happening with some of their neighbouring countries in addition to some huge country in the Far East The people on TV told me that Russia is bad so Belarus must be too Or perhaps because you only watch TV and Tucker’s report from Moscow Have you heard about this war thing happening in Ukraine Minsk is a beautiful city and one of the safest in Europe Your feedback is important in helping us keep our community safe The comments on this page have not been provided approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered You have successfully joined our subscriber list Editorial Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any entity mentioned herein. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. See more about our ethics policies here the problems will take a long time to solve / newsbel.by Poland, Lithuania and Latvia are threatening Belarus with a complete closure of the border due to the migration crisis and escalating provocations. The Community of Railway Workers of Belarus has calculated how much the Belarusian Railway will lose if the neighbors carry out their threats We're talking about five railway checkpoints through which goods pass: three points on the border with Poland ("Brest - Terespol" One with Lithuania ("Gudogai - Kena") and one with Latvia ("Bigosovo - Indra") The "Stasilos - Beniakoni" point on the border with Lithuania was closed in February 2023 According to the information of the Community of Railway Workers of Belarus the Belarusian Railway (BRW) earned more than $155 million on transportation across the European border The largest flow was through Poland - $98 million followed by Lithuania - $37.8 million and Latvia - $19.6 million BRW received about $6 million more from passenger transportation to the Kaliningrad region via Lithuania Total revenues of BRW from passenger and cargo transportation across the border with the European Union for seven months of 2023 amounted to more than $161 million which means that the losses may amount to about $280 million for the year.  Belarusian officials regularly boast about the success of import substitution Deputy Prime Minister Piotr Parkhomchyk said that Belarus had used 900 million rubles of the Russian loan for import substitution It turns out that Belarus may lose from integration with Russia while it is possible to earn money on transit.  Indirect losses will be heavier and more tragic while Belarus can use more expensive ways to deliver cargoes through Russia for export-import transportation we see no compensatory measures for transit cargoes According to the community of railway workers while the condition of the railway to the west and north of Minsk will deteriorate "The blockade will have a catastrophic effect on many important railway junctions Brest will suffer as a hub serving the Polish direction Here we can openly talk of the liquidation of the BRW department as a structure "The closure of the borders will also be a complete failure of the Chinese economic policy "One Belt - One Road" in Belarus in terms of long-term investments in the development of transit opportunities between China and Europe The project of the Great Stone Industrial Park in Minsk can also be attributed to this One of the priority areas of development of Belarus is also based on its strategic location at the intersection of two international transport corridors number two "East-West" and number nine "North-South" near the borders of the largest economic zones of the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union Competitiveness of the created routes and transport corridors was achieved by long-term efforts of all interested countries And in practice such an easy and quick recovery is not possible It will require colossal investments and many years if not decades," the railway community concluded Become a journalist!Report topic! Support usDonate Cultural programme Author:   Ангелина Герус You can do anything in Minsk: become a regular on its festivals set off some cultural experience or set the rythm of the nightlife To top the list up you need some unbusy contemplation places Mark this 9 most charming sites to explore Photos by palasatka Walking along Praspiekt Niezaležnasci together with MTS Going behind the scenes of the main theater of the country A collection of shots from different parts of Belarus nature venues and holiday camps in the most famous resort region of Belarus ‘A village should have everything that a city has The city that has experienced a lot of disturbance throughout its long history Exploring secrets and legends of one of the largest cities in Belarus We’re traveling to the ancient capital  of Palessie A new episode of our audioseries is about Turaŭ  A trip to the ancient capital of the Grand Dutchy The rock capital of Belarus has a lot of stories to tell E-mail: 34travelby@gmail.com The reference to source is obligatory if you use materials of the site 34travel.me does not bear responsibility for the advertisements.