- Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Lukashenko (Aljaksandar Ryhoravič Lukašenka/Alyaksandar Ryhoravich Lukashenka;, Aleksandr Grigoryevich Lukashenko; born August 30, 1954) has served as the President of Belarus since July 1994.
- Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka (Belarusian: "Вікторыя Азарэнка, Азаранка", Russian: "Виктория Азаренко"; born July 31, 1989) is a tennis player from Minsk, Belarus, who became junior world champion in 2005. Currently she lives and trains in Marbella, Spain. On July 9, 2007 she reached a career high of No. 42.
- Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall (Russian: Марк Захарович Шага́л; Belarusian: Мойша Захаравіч Шагалаў "Mojša Zacharavič Šahałaŭ") (7 July 1887 - 28 March 1985) was a French painter of Russian-Jewish origin who was born in Belarus, then part of the Russian Empire. Among the celebrated painters of the 20th century, he is associated with the modern movements after impressionism.
- Yanka Kupala
Yanka Kupala (Janka Kupała, ; - June 28, 1942) - penname of Ivan Lutsevich was a famous Belarusian poet and writer. Arguably the most famous Belarusian nationalist, Kupala promoted the dying Belarusian language and attempted to further shield it against russification. Currently there is a museum founded by his wife in Minsk which has many examples of his life’s work.
- Max Mirnyi
Max Mirnyi (nicknamed "The Beast"; ; born July 6, 1977) is a tennis player from Belarus. Like Natasha Zvereva (a Belarusian tennis star from 1980s and early 1990s), Max Mirnyi focuses on doubles. His biggest achievements so far are the two victories in doubles at the US Open in 2000 and 2002 and his 2005 and 2006 French Open titles. In 2003 he reached the doubles final at Wimbledon. On June 9, 2003, he reached 1st position in ATP Doubles Entry Ranking.
- Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (pronounced: [miʦ'kʲeviʧ ]; Belarusian: "Адам Міцкевіч"; Lithuanian: "Adomas Bernardas Mickevičius"; December 24 1798 – November 26 1855) is one of the best-known Polish poets and writers, considered the greatest Polish Romantic poet of the 19th century, alongside Zygmunt Krasiński, Juliusz Słowacki (the Three Bards) and Cyprian Kamil Norwid.
- Shimon Peres
"' (born Szymon Perski"' on August 2, 1923 in eastern Poland) is the 9th President of the State of Israel. He is a senior Israeli statesman with a political career spanning more than 65 years. He joined the Knesset in November 1959 and, except for a three-month-long hiatus in early 2006, served continuously until June 13, 2007, the day he was elected President of Israel.
- Yakub Kolas
Yakub Kolas, Jakub Kołas, real name Kanstancy Mickievič (Міцке́віч Канстанці́н Міха́йлавіч) was a Belarusian writer, People's Poet of the Byelorussian SSR (1926), and member (1928) and vice-president (from 1929) of the Belarusian Academy of Sciences. He wrote collections of poems "Songs of Captivity" (1908) and "Songs of Grief" ("Песьні-жальбы", 1910), …
- Mikhail Marynich
Mikhail Marynich - an opposition leader in Belarus. He was a former minister of foreign economic affairs, and former ambassador of Belarus to Latvia. He became an opposition politician when he ran against the president Lukashenko for the presidency in the 2001 election, when he openly accused Lukashenko of implementing authoritarian policies in the country. After the election Marynich was accused and sent imprisoned on dubious charges of stealing computers from an NGO, …
- Sergei Martynov
Sergei Martynov is a Belarusian 50 m Rifle shooter, originally from Russia. Although a world-class competitor in the Three positions event, it is in the Prone event he has had his greatest accomplishments. He has never won the Olympic Games, but in 2006 he became world champion, and he has numerous victories in ISSF World Cups and World Cup Finals. He has also reached the maximum score of 600 points more times than any other shooter, namely five.
- Anatoly Lebedko
Anatoly Lebedko (Anatol Labiedźka Belarusian: Анато́ль Уладзі́міравіч Лябе́дзька; Russian: Анато́лий Влади́мирович Лебе́дько; born June 27, 1961) is a Belarusian politician and the head of the United Civil Party of Belarus. Born in the village of Triles, then part of the Stolbcy district in the USSR's Minsk voblast (and now in Belarus), …
- Rusia
Rusia (Maryna Shukyurava is a Belarusian rock singer at the band Indiga and crowned Rok-kniazoǔna (Princess off Rock music) at the 10th Rok-karanacyja festival. With her band she also won the first price at 2003 Basovišča festival.
- Stanislav Shushkevich
Stanislav Stanislavovich Shushkevich (Stanisłaŭ Stanisłavavič Šuškievič, Belarusian: Станісла́ў Станісла́вавіч Шушке́віч) (b. December 15, 1934) is a Belarusian politician and scientist. From 1991 to 1994 he was first leader and head of state of independent Belarus after dissolution of the USSR (Chairman of the Supreme Soviet - also chairman of Parliament).
- Michel Kikoine
Michel Kikoine born May 31, 1892 in Rechytsa, Belarus - died November 4, 1968 in Cannes, France, was a painter. The gifted son of a banker in the small south-eastern town of Rechytsa in Belarus, Michel Kikoine was barely into his teens when he began studying at "Kruger's School of Drawing" in Minsk. There he met Chaim Soutine, with whom he would have a lifelong friendship.
- Chaim Soutine
Chaim Soutine (1893 - August 9, 1943) was a Jewish expressionist painter from the Russian Empire. Born in Smilovichi, Russian Empire (now in Belarus). From 1910-1913 he studied in Vilnius at the I.Trutnev painting school. He then emigrated to Paris in 1913 with his friends Pinchus Kremegne and Michel Kikoine, where he studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. He soon developed a highly personal vision and painting technique. For a time, he and his friends lived at La Ruche, …
- Dmitry Zavadsky
Dmitry Zavadsky (born August 28, 1972 - July 7, 2000) was a Belarusian cameraman of Russian Public Television ORT. On July 7, 2000 Dmitry Zavadsky drove to the Minsk airport to meet colleague Pavel Sheremet. His car was later found at the airport, but Zavadsky has not been seen since. The Belarusian authorities were failing to determine the fate Dmitry Zavadsky and leading opposition figures Yury Zakharenko and Viktor Gonchar, …
- Mikhail Doroshevich
Mikhail Doroshevich is a founder of e-belarus.ORG, a Minsk-based news and analytical site covering developments in ICT in Belarus and Information Policy Blog, which provides daily news about information policy. DoWire.org Democracies Online features him as one of the most notable human rights bloggers on the Internet. Mr. Doroshevich is a frequent contributor to Internet periodicals about technology and freedom in Eastern Europe.
- Andrei Arlovski
Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski is a Belarusian mixed martial arts fighter and a former Ultimate Fighting Championship Heavyweight Champion. He holds notable wins over Tim Sylvia, Vladimir Matyushenko, Paul Buentello and Fabricio Werdum. MMAWeekly currently ranks Andrei Arlovski as the #8 heavyweight in the world.
- Sergey Sidorsky
Sergey Sidorsky (Belarusian: Сяргей Сідорскі (Syarhey Sidorski/Siarhiej Sidorski)) (born March 13 1954 in Gomel, BSSR) is the Prime Minister of Belarus. He was appointed Acting Prime Minister on July 10 2003 to replace the dismissed Hienadz Navicki (Gennady Novitsky), and was confirmed as permanent Prime Minister on December 19, 2003.
- Mikhail Khvostov
Mikhail Khvostov is the current ambassador of the Republic of Belarus to the United States and is also accredited as a nonresident ambassador to Mexico. He became ambassador to the U.S. on May 23, 2003. In 1991-1992, Khvostov was first secretary at the Belarusian mission to the United Nations, and in 1992 and 1993 was first secretary at the Belarusian embassy to the United States. He was ambassador to Canada from 1997 to 2000, …
- Anatoly Chubais
Anatoly Borisovich Chubais is a Russian politician best known for his role in Russian privatization and the creation of Russian tycoons. Although the exact amount of his personal wealth (estimated according to rumors at one billion dollars) is not known, he is often considered to be a tycoon himself. The 2004 survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers and Financial Times named him the world's 54th most respected business leader.
- Anastasiya Yakimova
Anastasiya Yakimova (born November 1, 1986 in Minsk, Belarus) is a female tennis player from Belarus. She made it to the third round of the 2007 Australian Open, defeating Ai Sugiyama of Japan, a seeded player, on the way in the second round. She also defeated Jill Craybas in three sets to go to the second round of the French Open of 2006, but lost to Justine Henin in the second round, challenging her to 7-5 in the second set, losing in straight sets.
- Francysk Skaryna
Francišak Skaryna was a Belarusian famous for as the printer of the first book in an Eastern Slavic language. He was born in the historical Belarusian city of Połacak. The exact dates of birth and death are unknown; the two most probable estimates are 1485 - 1540 and 1490 - 1551. Skaryna graduated from the arts faculty at University of Kraków in 1504 with a Bachelor of Arts. In 1512 he received doctorate in medicine at University of Padua in Italy.
- Veronika Cherkasova
Veronika Cherkasova, a Belarusian journalist, born in Minsk, Belarus. She was stabbed to death in her Minsk apartment on October 20, 2004. The killer, who inflicted over 20 stab wounds, has never been found. The official investigation was suspended in December 2005, restarted in February 2006, and suspended again on March 14, 2006, citing lack of indictable suspects. Veronika Cherkasova had worked for various independent opposition newspapers - "BDG" (in the 90's), …
- Vladimir Goncharik
Vladimir Goncharik was the leader of the opposition in Belarus against Alexander Lukashenko in 2001. He failed to become president in the elections of 2001. Goncharik lost in 2001 elections to Lukashenko by 75.65 percent.
- Aliaksandr Hleb
Aliaksandr Paŭlavič Hleb, sometimes referred to in English as Alexander Hleb, Russian: Александр Павлович Глеб, born May 1, 1981 in Minsk), is a Belarusian footballer who plays in midfield for Arsenal and the Belarus national team. His natural position is attacking midfielder, but recently at Arsenal he has generally been used as a winger
- Ivan Tikhon
Ivan Tikhon (born July 24, 1976, Slonim) is a Belarusian hammer thrower. He is a two-time world champion and an olympic silver medalist (2004 Summer Olympics).
- Andrei Kostitsyn
Andriej Kástsitsyn or Andrei Kostitsyn is a Belarusian ice hockey forward. Andrei currently plays for the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens. He was selected in the first round (10th overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Habs. The consensus was he would have gone higher but teams were scared off by an epileptic condition that has been kept in check by medication. He is an active player of the Belarusian national men's ice hockey team.
- Angelica Agurbash
Angelica Agurbash (or Anzhelika Agurbash, Russian: Анжелика Агурбаш, Belarusian: Анжаліка Агурбаш), born May 17 1970, is a Belarusian pop-singer, who competed for Belarus at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005. Angelica Agurbash (born Yalinskaya) was born in Minsk, Belarus. In 1988, she won the first Miss Belarus title when she was a student of the Belarusian Academy of Arts.
- Zianon Pazniak
Dr. Zianon Paźniak is a famous Belarusian nationalist politician and public activist, one of the founders of the Belarusian Popular Front and leader of the Christian Conservative Party of the BPF.
- Vladimir Voltchkov
Vladimir Nikolayevich Voltchkov (born April 7, 1978) is a Belarusian tennis player. Voltchkov reached the semifinal at the 2000 Wimbledon, where, as a qualifer, he lost to Pete Sampras in four sets. He has represented Belarus in both the Davis Cup and the Olympics games in 2000, also won the Wimbledon juniors competition in 1996.
- Vytautas The Great
Vytautas the Great (Lithuanian: '; ; Ruthenian: "Vitovt"; Latin: "Alexander Vitoldus"; ca. 1350 - October 27 1430), also known in English by the traditional Polish and German name Witold"', was one of the most famous rulers of medieval Lithuania. With the title "Didysis Kunigaikštis", the equivalent of king, he was the supreme ruler of his dominions. The later translation is Grand Duke (for its etymology, see Grand Prince).
- Ivonka Survilla
Ivonka Survilla or "Surviła" (born in 1936, Stoŭpcy (Stołpce), eastern Poland, now in Minsk Voblasts of Belarus, as Iwonka Szymaniec) is the current President of the Belarusian National Republic (BNR) "in exile", a Chief of the Belarusian government in exile (located in Toronto, Canada). After a dramatic exodus through East Prussia, she lived in Denmark, France and Spain before moving to Canada in 1969.
- Jan Zaprudnik
Jan Zaprudnik (Belarusian: "Янка Запруднік", real name Siarhiej Vilčycki, born 1926, Mir) is an American historian and publicist of Belarusian descent. He is also one of the leaders of the Belarusian community in the United States and an honoured member of the Belarusian PEN-centre.
- Menachem Begin
"'"' (August 16, 1913 – March 9, 1992) was a Polish-Jewish head of the Zionist underground group the Irgun, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the first Likud Prime Minister of Israel. Though revered by many Israelis, Begin’s legacy remains highly controversial and divisive. As the leader of Irgun, Begin played a central role in Jewish military resistance to the British Mandate of Palestine, but was strongly deplored and consequently sidelined by mainstream Zionist leadership.
- Polina Smolova
Polina Smolova is the Belarusian entry for the 2006 Eurovision contest with the song "Mum". She won the Grand Prix at the "Slavonic Bazaar 2005" and an award at the Contest for Young Performers. She was given the honorary title "Inhabitant of the city of Minsk" and, at the Belarusian music awards "Teleportation", she was voted "Person of the Year". She failed in Eurovision Semi Final, by placing at 22nd.
- Chaim Weizmann
Chaim Azriel Weizmann November 27, 1874 – November 9, 1952) was a chemist, statesman, President of the World Zionist Organization, first President of Israel (elected February 1, 1949, served 1949 - 1952) and founder of a research institute in Israel that eventually became the Weizmann Institute of Science.
- Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Shostakovich was born in St. Petersburg, Russia on September 25, 1906. Years after his death, he remains one of the most important figures in 20th-century classical music and one of the most controversial. Under pressure from Soviet authorities, he compromised his art. At least that was how it seemed. (09/25/2006)
- Vyacheslav Kebich
Vyacheslav Frantsevich Kebich (born June 10, 1936) was the first Prime Minister of Belarus, serving from 1990 until 1994. Kebich was also one of two candidates in the final running for President of Belarus in 1994, but losing to current leader Alexander Lukashenko by a wide margin. After that election, he has led the Belarusian Commerce and Financial Union and was member of the House of Representatives. Before his career as a politician, Kebich worked as an engineer.
- Tadeusz Kościuszko
Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko was a Polish, Lithuanian national hero, general and a leader of the 1794 uprising (which bears his name) against the Russian Empire. He fought in the American Revolutionary War as a colonel in the Continental Army on the side of Washington. In recognition of his dedicated and faithful service he was brevetted by the Continental Congress to the rank of Brigadier General in 1783, …