On July 27, 2026, Belarus marks the 35th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Belarus, a document that became one of the key milestones on the path toward the restoration of Belarusian statehood. Today, the date has largely disappeared from public memory after being removed from the official state calendar following the political changes of the 1990s. Yet the events of 1990–1991 marked a defining period in Belarusian history, when the country was leaving the Soviet state project, building new political institutions and searching for a model of statehood.
The Museum of Free Belarus invites the public to revisit this important chapter of Belarusian history during a special historical discussion with researchers and experts. The main guest will be Lyavon Barshcheuski, one of the “Deputies of Independence”, who played an active role in the work of the Supreme Soviet and in the political processes surrounding the establishment of Belarusian statehood. The discussion will also feature Viktar Shadurski, professor and author of the book The Birth of the Belarusian Leviathan: Belarus from a Parliamentary Republic to an Authoritarian Regime (1990–1996), which examines the country’s political transformation during the first years of independence. The discussion will be moderated by Aliaksei Lastouski, director of the Belarusian Institute of Public History.
During the event, the historians will discuss the place of the events of 1990–1991 in the history of Belarusian statehood; the role of the Declaration of State Sovereignty and the decisions of the Supreme Soviet; the process of building the institutions of an independent Belarus; the transition from a parliamentary model to a new political system in the 1990s; and the significance of these developments for contemporary historical memory.
The Museum of Free Belarus invites representatives of the media to cover the event, tell their audiences about the historical discussion dedicated to the 35th anniversary of Belarusian independence and take part in the meeting.
Date and time: July 27, 2026, 6:00 p.m.
Venue: Museum of Free Belarus, Warsaw
