[War & Business] The Lungs of Europe

On the 23rd (local time), citizens participating in an anti-government protest in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, demanded the resignation of President Aleksandr Lukashenko. Minsk (Belarus) = EPA · Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Belarus, a country that has recently emerged as a battleground between Russia and the European Union (EU), was originally called the "lungs of Europe." Known for its last remaining primeval forests in Europe, including the "Białowie?a Forest," which is five times the size of Seoul, most of its territory is covered with coniferous forests. Belarus, roughly the same size as the Korean Peninsula, is entirely plains, but its population is just about 9.5 million, less than one-fifth of South Korea's, and most areas remain undeveloped.

It is ironic considering that Poland, which shares a border with Belarus, is home to Europe's largest coal mines, but the reason Belarus became the lungs of Europe hides a painful history. After the nuclear power plant explosion in Chernobyl, Ukraine, which borders Belarus to the south, in April 1986, radioactive fallout and radioactive rain fell across Belarus throughout the year. A significant part of the territory still has high radiation levels, making development impossible and even prohibiting human habitation. Thanks to this, the primeval forests have been preserved as they were.

Despite this tragic history with Russia, the Belarusian people opposed independence from Russia until the very end when the former Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, unlike other Eastern European countries. Surrounded by great powers?Poland to the west, Ukraine to the south, and Russia to the east?independence meant endless war. The country's 800-year history had already been stained with wars between Poland and Russia, washing blood with blood. The small population is also due to most of the people losing their lives on these endless battlefields.

As soon as the Soviet Union collapsed, the concerns of the Belarusian people became reality. From the early 2000s, the United States and Europe simultaneously brought Eastern European countries into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and all countries west of Belarus, including Poland, became NATO members. Russia, fearing encroachment on its backyard, strongly opposed Belarus and Ukraine joining NATO and applied military pressure. Russia's forced annexation of Crimea in 2014 also demonstrated that Russia could indeed carry out a military invasion.

Taking advantage of this situation, President Alexander Lukashenko has maintained a long-term authoritarian dictatorship for 26 years under the pretext of strengthening security. However, he only caused great diplomatic confusion by pushing for national unification with Russia according to his political stance and then opposing it again. Now, the people, who must endure sanctions from the EU and the risk of invasion from Russia, have split into two groups, each shouting for Lukashenko's resignation or support. The lungs of Europe now stand at a crossroads of life and death, possibly taking their last rough breath.