A bird flapping its large wings against a dimly lit sky. This is a photo of a stork (Shuvashkov) taken in Belarus. In Europe, they are widespread, especially in Poland, Spain, and the Baltic countries, and in many places they are a culturalsymbolThe stork is also an important symbol in Belarus. Storks are also an important symbol in Belarus, and three bronze statues of storks stand in the fountain at Independence Square.

Independence Square in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, has existed since the days of the Soviet Union and was called Lenin Square during that period. The square has been a venue for military parades and rallies since the Soviet era, and in 2020 it will be the site of a largeantigovernment demonstrationThe country has also been the setting for the Belarus has been under the dictatorship of President Alexander Lukashenko since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, and the 2020 presidential election, in which Lukashenko was elected to a sixth term, sparked criticism of electoral fraud and led to demonstrations and strikes in many areas.

Learn more about Belarus → "Surviving on all sides? : Long-term dictatorship in Belarus"

Learn more about Eastern Europe → "Does the media capture the current situation in Eastern Europe?"

(Photo:Marco Fieber / Flickr [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0])