Potash wars

Uralkali CEO under arrest

A top manager of Uralkali has been arrested in Minsk under allegation of insider trading and damaging national interests of the Republic of Belarus. He may face up to 10 years in prison but he is just a little figure in chess game between Russia and Belarus. The stakes are high – it is control of world potash market.

Read More

Prices go crazy

Minsk apartments for rent

The rental market has undergone significant changes over the past six months. Thousands of ordinary people faced with the challenge of finding housing. Meager selection and exorbitant prices for apartments of bad quality - so experts describe the situation. July has always been a kind of calm before the storm, before arrival of non-resident students. Not now.

The number of rental apartments for offer has consistently decreased since March. In past years in the middle of summer market was full of apartments freed by students, which immediately increased the total supply by 10-15%. In July 2013, the increase was only 3.0%. Inside the structure, at the same time there have been significant changes. The segment of the most popular one-room apartments continued to narrow, but supply of the 2 - and 3 - bedroom apartments has increased by 12.4% and 5.9%  respectively. For the first time in a long time, the offers of 1-bedroom apartments lost the lead to 2-bedroom ones.

Read More

Tapas bar at Internatsionalnaya

For those who are a big fan of Spanish cousine it is worthwhile to visit Tapas bar at Internatsionalnaya which offers wide range of dishes

There are different ways to start a story about Spanish cuisine, but without a mention of "tapas" this story will never be complete. Tapas bar for the Spanich is not the only place where you can eat and drink, it is primarily a place where three basic rules of Spanish hospitality are connected: good food, good drink and good talk. Tapas is not just a snack for an aperitif, it is an important part of the food culture of Spain. The word "tapas" is derived from the Spanish verb tapar, "to cover".

Read More

Silver Fish won gold at Universiade

Alexandra Gerasimenya photosession

Belarusian swimmer Alexandra Gerasimenya nicknamed "Silver Fish" for her 2 silver Olympic medals in London has won a gold medal in Kazan and did a photo session for a sport newspaper "Pressball"

In Kazan the XXVII World Student tournament goes on. In the final swim on the 50 meter butterfly distance the Belarusian Alexandra Gerasimenya was unattainable for rivals, setting a new record for the Universiade and Belarus - 25.84. Silver will go to Canadian Catherine Savard with 26.05  and bronze to Italian Elena Jam - 26.28.

But on the eve of the competition Alexandra did one thing that a lot of her fans had asked her to do for a while and starred in the photo shoot for the newspaper "Pressball" and the Belarusian Federation of Swimming. Some of these brilliant pictures of our national pride is below

Read More

Fury is not over

Miss Minsk 2013 photo scandal

The picante story of Miss Minsk 2013’s frivolous pictures has been frozen by silence both from organisers of the show and the winner Yana Kanstavenka herself. The only statement received from her was her status in the social network VKontakte.  If briefly,  she recognises that the photos taken in the night club Dozari are of her but denies any wrongdoing. Moreover, she proudly confesses that her lifestyle is what the other girls are dreaming on.

Read More

Miss Minsk 2013's indiscreet pictures revealed

Miss Minsk's nude pictures scandal

Social networks users within only one day after Yana Kantsavenka, a stunning 21-old student of High School of Tourism, won a Miss Minsk 2013 beauty contest  in Palace of Sport discovered various pictures of her doing thing that a lot of people would consider inappropriate for Miss Minsk. Moreover, other winners also appears to be involved in the scandal as some of them being a go-go dancer and a stripper. But official reaction from the organisers has yet to come.

Read More

Best places to get wet

Swimming pools in Minsk

It is not always possible to get into any of Minsk swimming pools without doing some formalities first. Some of them require medical check to be allowed in, some are only for members. But if you want to do swimming just now there are some options available.  Quite a few swimming pools in Minsk are open for everyone and do not ask papers.

There are certain issues, of course. These swimming pools are pretty busy all the time so you should be prepared to swim along with many other people. Sometimes sessions in the pools are not available, and experience shows that the best time for swimming is lunch time.

Read More

True story of Kennedy's assassin

Lee Harvey Oswald in Minsk

Lee Harvey Oswald once said about Minsk: "There was no place to spend money, no nightclubs and bowling, no entertainment". Interesting facts about the official Kennedy's assassin life in the Belarusian capital. How Lee Harvey Oswald lived, where he worked and with whom he communicated while he lived in Minsk -- that's the story below as told by one Belarusian blogger

In October 1959, Lee Harvey Oswald, the only officially charged with the assassination of American President John F. Kennedy, went to the Soviet Union. The trip was well planned. Stating that his mother needed care, he left the army on September 11, 1959 and received a salary of $ 1500.

Read More

Festival at Nyasvizh

Belarus cultural events

Festival of opera and ballet "Evenings of the Bolshoi Theatre at the  Radziwill castle" will be held in Nyasvizh from 21 to 23 June. Almost immidiatelyy after nn June 28 the other art-fest "Ursula Radziwill' Theater" will take place.

In the middle of the XVIII century, the Princess Urszula Radziwill founded a professional theater in her residence Nyasvizh, in which the audience watched opera and ballet performances. After almost three centuries the castle of Nyasvizh was chosen for a unique theater project.

Read More

Prices are still on a rise

Residential property in Minsk - May 2013

For recent years May on Minsk real estate market was the average standard month. Most buyers are not in a hurry and at the same time activity does not fall sharply, as it happens in the summer months. The current May was no exception to this rule. Nevertheless, there were a few quite interesting events. Facts and figures of the last month of spring in review of Realt.by.


The increased demand for apartments in Minsk, which we are seeing the beginning of the year, continued in May. Although the total number of transactions compared to April decreased by almost 20%, the current mark is still a very high figure. Number of apartments bought in Minsk this year is more than ever before.

Read More