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Belarusians in Russia

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Belarusians are a major ethnic group in the Russian Federation. In the census of 2002 807,970 Russian citizens confirmed their Belarusian ethnicity. [1] Most Belarusian Russians are migrants from Belarus or their descendants. Major Belarusian groups live in the regions of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Karelia. Large groups Belarusians live in Siberia.

Geography

A minor part of Belarusians in Russia are original inhabitants of the Russian-Belarusian border regions. In ancient times the regions of Smolensk and Pskov were inhabited by the East Slavic tribe of Krivichi that later became major base of the Russian and Belarusian nations. The Russian town of Smolensk belonged to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania between 1408 and 1514.

According to the census of the Russian Empire, some Belarusians lived in the modern Smolensk Oblast, Bryansk Oblast. A small number of Belarusians used to live in the modern Kaluga Oblast, Pskov Oblast, Orel Oblast.

The Korenization policies of the 1920s encouraged Belarusians of Russia to promote and develop Belarusian cultural life and education. A system of Belarusian schools was established in Western Russia. In the 1930s, the Korenization was reversed and its proponents were repressed.

Moscow

During the Polonization of the Grand Duchy in the 16th and 17th centuries, a large number of Orthodox Ruthenians — led by Princes Mistislavsky, Belsky and Galitzine — escaped the repressions to Moscow. In documents of that time they are also called Litvins or White Ruthenians.

One of the compact settlement of Litvins in Moscow was the Meschianskaya Sloboda. Its inhabitants engaged in financial operations, trade, medicine. Meschanskaya Sloboda had a degree of self-governance and a collegiate church.

In the times of Imperial Russia and the USSR Moscow as the scientific and economic centre of the country attracted many specialists from different parts of the empire including Belarus. So, the minister of foreign affairs of the USSR during the most tensed period of the Cold War was the Belarusian Andrei Gromyko.

Today Moscow also attracts huge numbers of specialists for constant and temporary work. Every year hundreds of students from Belarus join Moscow universities.

St. Petersburg

After the Partition of Poland, Belarusians started migrating to Russia including the imperial capital, St. Petersburg. Especially many peasants from northern and eastern regions of Belarus migrated to St. Petersburg.

According to statistics, from 1869 to 1910 the number of Belarusians in St. Petersburg grew 23 times and reached 70,000. By the end of that period Belarusians were the biggest ethnic minority in the city.[citation needed]

In the second half of 19th century several Belarusian organisations were created in St. Petersburg uniting intellectuals and students. In 1868 the enlightenment organisation Kryvicki vazok was founded. In the 1880ies the organisation of leftist Belarusian intellectuals Homan was created. A Belarusian publishing house existed in St. Petersburg in 1906-1912. Belarusian scientists at the universities of St. Petersburg made important ethnographic researches about Belarus.

The activity of organisations of Belarusian diaspora continued also after the October revolution until it was violently stopped by Stalinist repressions.

During the Perestroika several new Belarusian diaspora organisations appeared in Leningrad. Today St. Petersburg, though less than Moscow, is also attractive for workers and students from Belarus.

Siberia

Siberia was goal for mass migrations from Belarus in the 19th century. First, Russians deported participants of January November uprisings. During the period 1885–1914 550 thousands of Belarusians settled to Siberia. Entirely Belarusian villages existed there.

After the October revolution the stream of migrants from Belarus to Siberia did not stop. The Soviets tried to organise their flow and sancioned several researches on the history and traditions of Siberian Belarusian. In 1929 the Academy of sciences of Belarus organised a special ethnographic expedition to Siberia. In the census of 1926 371,840 Siberians stated their Belarusian descent.

In late 1920ies the Belarusian minority in RSFSR got the possibility to develop its culture and language. Belarusian schools were created in Siberia.

In the 1930ies and early 1940ies many Belarusian intellectuals and peasants were deported to Siberia, including those from the USSR-anexed West Belarus.

In late 1980ies the Belarusian national revival movement also affected Siberian Belarusians. Jan Čerski Society for Belarusian Culture was established in Irkutsk and is now the largest and most active organisation of the Belarusian diaspora in Russia.

Other regions

In the 18th century Belarusians lived in several gubernyas of European Russia. Belarusian settlements existed in Kursk, Pensa gubernyas and in the Ural.

After cancellation of serfdom in Russia in the 19th century mass migrations of Belarusian peasants to Russia started. Main goals were Volga region, Caucasus, Central Asia and Siberia.

From late 1940ies to early 1960ies many Belarusians settled in Karelia, Arkhangelsk oblast, Komi, Kaliningrad oblast.


Belarusian territorial autonomies in Russia

Belarusians are the second largest ethnic group in Russia (after Ukrainians) that does not have a territorial autonomy.

Belarusian national revival in RSFSR in early Soviet times included creation of Belarusian local autonomies - national Rural Soviets (сельсоветы) inside raions. In 1924–1926 71 Belarusian rural soviets were created in Siberia. In 1926 there were 26 Belarusian rural soviets in the Russian Far East. In the Ural in 1928 there were 11 of them. Later also several Belarusian raiony - administrative units of a higher level - were created. In early 1930ies there was a Belarusian national raion of Taboryn as part of the Ural oblast. There was a discussion about creation of a Belarusian national unit inside the Omsk oblast.

In mid-1930ies all Belarusian autonomies inside the RSFSR were liquidated.


Modern state

Number of Belarusians in Russia

Year Population
1959 844
1970 964,7
1989 1,206
2002 807

Because of cultural closeness of Belarusians to Russians and weakly expressed national identity Belarusians are more than other ethnic minorities exposed to assimilation in Russia. Despide mass inflow of migrants from Belarus during last centuries, children of immigrants rarely identify themselves as Belarusians.

Currently more and more Belarusian organisations are created in different regions of Russia.

In 2003 a Belarusian cultural society Belorusy Yugry was registered in Surgut.

As said above, the largest and strongest Belarusian diaspora organisation in Russia is the Jan Čerski Society for Belarusian Culture in Irkutsk. The organisation unites descendants of Belarusian settlers in Siberia, has several branches and issues a newspaper.

In Moscow there is the Francišak Skaryna Society for Belarusian Culture and an informal union of Belarusian students. In Bashkortostan there is a Belarusian national cultural centre Siabry founded in 1996. In Kaliningrad Belarusians are united in the culture society Karalaviec.

In the last decade Belarusian community of Russia is split basing on the attitude towards the regime of Alexander Lukashenka. Older organisations support the Belarusian democratic opposition. Other, more recently founded organisations as the Federal National Cultural Autonomy of Belarusians in Russia are supportd by the embassy of Belarus and are loyal to the regime.

Besides Russian citisens of Belarusian descent there are about 400 thousands Belarusians currently working in Russia[2].


Notable Russians of Belarusian origin

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