The Belarusian National Republic (Belarusian: Белару́ская Наро́дная Рэспу́бліка, also translated as "Belarusian People's Republic", "Belarusian Democratic Republic", etc.) was pronounced on March 25, 1918 during World War I, when Belarus was occupied by Germans according to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. In its Third Constituent Charter, the following territories were claimed for BNR: Mahileu guberniya (province), parts of Minsk, Hrodna (including Bialystok, etc.), Vilnius, Vitsebsk, and Smolensk gubernias, as well as parts of bordering gubernias populated by Belarusians.
A national flag of three stripes -- white-red-white -- was adopted, as well as a state seal (Pahonya), which was based on an emblem of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ("Vytis") (see symbols from earlier history).
The BNR did not become a real state: it did not have a constitution, armed forces, definite territoriality, etc. When the Red Army entered Minsk on January 5, 1919, the Rada (Council) of the BNR went into exile. The exiled government still exists. Ivonka Survilla is the current chairperson of the Rada.
Similar governments-in-exile of the neighboring countries (Lithuania, Poland and others) handed back their "authorities" to the corresponding actual governments in the 1990s. BNR council has not done this because BNR council views Lukashenka's government of Belarus as an anti-Belarusian, anti-independence, anti-democratic power.
During World War II, the Nazis attempted to establish a puppet Belarusian government under the name of Belarusian Central Rada (BCR), with similar state symbols. (The chairman of the BCR was Radoslaw Ostrowski (Радослав Островский)). After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Belarusian nationalist party, the Belarusian Popular Front (BPF) Adradzhennie (Адраджэньне, Revival), attempted to revive the ancient Belarusian regalia. The political opponents of Adradzhennie tried to identify BCR with BNR, and basing on the usage of symbolics, to portray the BPF as fascists. Use of these symbols was made a criminal offense.
Related article
External link
BNR Rada website
