Belarus

Belarus is a country of approximately 10 million.  The capital city Minsk has approximately 1.8 million in population.  Belarus was severely impacted by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.  When the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine exploded in 1986, 70% of its radioactivity fell on the Belorussian soil.  Cancer and other illnesses have multiplied as a result.  The average annual income is $2,150.  The economy is impacted by the fact that the political leadership is still communist and is pressing for inclusion in the Russian federation.  The EU and the U.S. have denounced the increasingly oppressive political atmosphere and human rights violations in Belarus under the Soviet-style authoritarianism of President Lukashenka. In 1999, the year Lukashenka was to step down, he rigged a national referendum allowing him to cancel the elections and remain president.