Belarusians in Ukraine

Belarusians in Ukraine are the third biggest minority after Russians. Unlike many other ethnic groups, Belarusians do not have any particular concentration in the country, but spread out relatively evenly across all regions.

Not to be confused with Ukrainians in Belarus.
Belarusians in Ukraine
Total population
275,763 (2001)
Regions with significant populations
Donetsk Oblast44,525 (2001)
Crimea
(w/ Sevastopol)		35,157 (2001)
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast29,528 (2001)
Luhansk Oblast20,587 (2001)
Kyiv16,549 (2001)
Kharkiv Oblast14,752 (2001)
Odesa Oblast12,767 (2001)
Zaporizhzhia Oblast12,655 (2001)
Rivne Oblast11,827 (2001)
other regions of Ukraine77,416 (2001)
Languages
Russian (62.5%) Belarusian (19.8%) Ukrainian (17.5%)
Religion
Eastern Orthodoxy
Related ethnic groups
Slavic people (West Slavs, East Slavs, South Slavs)

History
White-red-white flag with Columns of Hiedymin in the form of a trident [and the Columns of Gediminas used in early Lithuania] of the Belarusian diaspora in Ukraine, which is also used by the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment[1][2]
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During the Russo-Ukrainian War Belarusian volunteers fought alongside Ukraine. The first foreign volunteer group in Ukraine was the Pahonia detachment, founded in 2014 during the war in Donbas.[3] The following year, the tactical group "Belarus" was formed uniting Belarusian volunteers fighting in different battalions[4] The Monument to the Belarusians who died for Ukraine in Kyiv is dedicated to the Belarusian volunteers who died during the Russian-Ukrainian War.[5] On March 9, 2022, the creation of the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Battalion was announced which was later transformed into a regiment.[6] On March 30, 2022, the beginning of the formation of another Belarusian unit, the Pahonia Regiment was announced which is part of the International Legion of Territorial Defence of Ukraine.[7]

In June 2023, Valery Sakhashchyk, effective defence minister of the Belarusian United Transitional Cabinet (a government-in-exile opposed to the de facto government of Alexander Lukashenko) informed about the creation of the 1st separate amphibious assault company of Belarusians, which is part of the 79th Air Assault Brigade.[8] The Belarusian assault company is located in the Donetsk direction.[9]

Location and number

In Ukraine, the number of Belarusians is estimated at over 275,000 (the 2001 Ukrainian Census).[10] Most of the Belarusians diaspora in Ukraine appeared as a result of the migration of Belarusians to the Ukrainian SSR during the Soviet Union. Lviv has been an important center of Belarusian social and cultural life during the Russian Empire and interwar Poland. There are now Belarusian organizations in major cities like Lviv, Sevastopol in the Crimea, and others. A notable Ukrainian of Belarusian descent is Viktor Yanukovych, the fourth president of Ukraine.

See also

References
  1. "Білоруси створили в Україні "Білоруський Добровольчий Корпус"". Мілітарний (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  2. Журавель, Дмитро (2022-12-26). "В Україні з'явився "Білоруський Добровольчий Корпус" (ВІДЕО)". ШоТам (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  3. "Участь в АТО візьме добровольчий загін білорусів "Пагоня"" (in Ukrainian). Еспресо TV. 2014-07-08. Retrieved 2018-01-14.
  4. "Расея можа паўтарыць украінскі сцэнар у Беларусі". БЕЛАРУСКАЕ РАДЫЁ РАЦЫЯ (in Polish). 2017-02-10. Archived from the original on 2021-08-30. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  5. Monument to Belarusians who died for Ukraine was opened in Kyiv // Belsat TV
  6. ЕВРОРАДИО (2022-03-09). "Белорусы создали батальон имени Калиновского для обороны Киева". euroradio.fm (in Belarusian).
  7. Белорусы начали создавать полк «Погоня» в составе Вооруженных сил Украины
  8. «Сахашчык сам удзельнічае ў баявых апэрацыях». Баец з новай дэсантнай роты беларусаў расказаў, чым яны займаюцца на Данбасе
  9. Что за новая рота, о которой говорил Валерий Сахащик? Спросили у него
  10. "Всеукраїнський перепис населення 2001 - Результати - Основні підсумки - Національний склад населення". 2001.ukrcensus.gov.ua.

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