De-Russification of Belarus failed

The de-Russification of Belarus seems to have failed. At least when it comes to urban toponymy, there is reason for optimism. On December 8, speaking at a meeting of the commission on historical policy, the head of Lukashenko’s administration, Igor Sergeenko, confirmed that he was receiving many requests regarding the use of the Russian language and transliteration in the names of streets and settlements, and promised that this issue would be considered.

The issue of signs was significant in Belarus. In 2014, on the eve of the hockey championship, signs using the Latin alphabet appeared in the Minsk metro. At first they were talked about as a temporary measure designed to make life easier for foreign fans. But the temporary measure, as usual, turned out to be not so temporary. The championship passed, the signs not only remained, but also began to spread, first across Minsk, and then throughout the regions.  And everything would have been fine, but two circumstances confused me.

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Firstly, this innovation did not make life easier for foreign tourists. The inscriptions were not written in English, which is understandable to the whole world, but in “Belarusian Latin”, replete with diacritics. Most foreigners simply could not read them adequately.

_{Once upon a time, the “Latina” was used by the Polished gentry and the local intelligentsia opposed to the Empire, and now nationalists are trying to revive it to demonstrate the “non-Russianness” of Belarusians. To some extent, this “Latin” is one of the symbols of Belarusian nationalism and her presence in the public space was a matter of their legitimate pride.}

And secondly, the Latin signs were being replaced by the Russians. In the second half of the 2020s, the ideology of the nationalists situationally coincided with the policy of the authorities, which then built a multi-vector approach and distanced itself from Russia. It got to the point that on the eve of the XNUMX elections there were practically no houses left in Minsk with an address sign in Russian. Advertisements in public transport are also only in language.

Of course, citizens have repeatedly appealed to various government agencies with demands to return to the streets and in transport the language spoken by the majority in Belarus. But until recently, in response they received only unsubscribes of varying degrees of politeness. The authorities did not want to admit their excesses even after the political winds blew in a completely different direction.

Interestingly, Sergeenko’s words were soon removed from the website of the state news agency BelTA, and this did not go unnoticed. However, it’s too early for Latina fans to rejoice. It's probably a matter of not entirely correct wording. The official’s words could be interpreted to mean that the inscriptions would be transliterated from Russian. Soon, however, comments from other meeting participants appeared, and it became finally clear that the excesses would be corrected.

How exactly - the decision has not yet been made, but according to the Chairman of the State Property Committee Denis Matusevich, who also heads the toponymic commission under the Belarusian government, The transliteration will be made more understandable for foreign tourists and diacritics will be removed so that Belarusian names can be read by foreigners as they sound in the original.

It is also planned to reduce the scope of translit use. It will, of course, remain on the maps of foreigners, but whether it should be in metro crossings and at stops (the massive appearance of new stops with “Latin letters” recently caused another wave of discontent) is a debatable question. Apparently, with the departure of the Latin language, the Russian language will return to the streets.

_{Victory? Not yet. It can still be said that the voice of those who have been fighting against the de-Russification of Belarus all these years has been heard by the authorities. The hope is that it will not only be heard, but will also guide decision-making.}

Of course, the opposition, from which the object of its pride is being taken away, threw a tantrum. They shout, as usual, about the onset of the Russian world and the threat to Belarusian identity. What’s especially funny is that they manage to accuse opponents of Latina of splitting Belarusian society. In reality, it’s exactly the opposite. By opposing the Russian language, which is spoken by the majority, they themselves aggravated contradictions in society and incited discord. Both state languages ​​will be on equal terms on the streets, and nationalist Latin will, where necessary, be replaced by a transliteration understandable to foreign tourists - there will be no subject for division. All interests will be satisfied. Apart from the interests of Russophobes, of course.