Belarus’ population equaled 9,155,978 people as of 1 January 2024, the National Statistics Committee told BelTA. In 2023 Belarus was home to 9,200,617 people. This is why the population dropped by 44,639 people last year. Minsk was home to 1,992,862 people as of 1 January 2024, down from 1,995,471 people in 2023. As of the reporting date as many as 1,308,569 people lived in Brest Oblast, 1,081,911 people in Vitebsk Oblast, 1,338,617 people in Gomel Oblast, 992,556 people in Grodno...

OZARICHI, 19 March (BelTA) - No other country in the world witnessed such violence, cruelty, and genocide as Belarus during the Great Patriotic War, Belarusian Prosecutor General Andrei Shved said during a commemorative ceremony dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the liberation of prisoners of the Ozarichi death camp, BelTA has learned. "The Prosecutor General's Office has been investigating the criminal case of the genocide of the Belarusian people for more than two years. This case,...

A comprehensive test of territorial defense command and control bodies is in progress in Gomel Oblast, the press service of the Belarusian Defense Ministry told BelTA. Chief of the General Staff, First Deputy Defense Minister of Belarus, Major-General Viktor Gulevich handed the relevant executive order to Chairman of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee Ivan Krupko. The executive order authorized the test of people’s militia. People’s militia is a component of Belarus’ territorial...

The government will continue to support families with children under any circumstances, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with activists of the Belarusian Women’s Union on 5 March, BelTA has learned. “I know that all mothers and mothers-to-be are anxious to know whether the government will continue to support mothers with children. It is an absolutely legitimate question, as this costs us a lot. We are the epitome of the welfare state. We offer dozens of social...

As of 20:00 the voter turnout at the parliamentary and local elections in Belarus made up 72.98%, BelTA learned from Chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Belarus Igor Karpenko at a press conference in the CEC press center. According to the CEC, voter turnout stood at 75.82% in Brest Oblast, 74.74% in Vitebsk Oblast, 75.85% in Gomel Oblast, 76.90% in Grodno Oblast, 74.20% in Minsk Oblast, 77.03% in Mogilev Oblast, and 61.54% in the city of Minsk. BelTA – News from...

As of 1 February 2024, a total of 134,703 large families have opened deposit accounts in Belarus under the family capital program, including 82,600 deposit accounts to the total amount of $826 million and 52,000 deposit accounts to the total amount of Br1.3 billion, BelTA has learned from the Belarusian Labor and Social Security Ministry’s press service. As of 1 February, a total of 81,749 families applied for permission to use family capital ahead of schedule. Of them, 66,555 applied...

The first diamond was cut at the Kristall plant more than half a century ago. Overall, there were seven such plants in the Soviet Union. Now only two are operational. One is in Smolensk, the other is in Gomel. In November of last year, Aleksandr Lukashenko visited Kristall. The president inspected all stages of production. In the latest episode of BelTA’s Youtube project “After the Fact; Lukashenko’s Decision” we will tell you about the laser technologies used in diamond processing,...

Everything was open, transparent and democratic, Vitaly Kulik, an international observer from the CIS, told the media as he attended a meeting of the district election commission in the administration of Sovetsky District of Gomel, BelTA has learned. On 29 January the international observer took part in a meeting of the district election commission in the administration of Sovetsky District of Gomel. "Candidates were nominated by collectives, parties and through the collection of...

The Belarusian agricultural machinery manufacturer Gomselmash is resuming shipments to Mongolia, Gomselmash Director General Aleksandr Novikov said before the meeting of the Belarus-Mongolia intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation on 24 January, BelTA has learned. "Today we are going to sign a contract with the State Agricultural Corporation of Mongolia to ship 10 self-propelled mowers to that country. The previous deliveries were made in 2015, and today we are...

The Ola memorial complex has become a symbol of immense sorrow of the Belarusian people, a center of patriotic attraction, Gomel Oblast Governor Ivan Krupko said at an event to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the tragedy in the village of Ola on 14 January, BelTA has learned. The village of Ola in Svetlogorsk District can't be found on the most detailed modern maps, the governor said. "Burned to the ground together with its inhabitants by the Nazis 80 years ago, Ola will remain...