Interior ministry bans “Long Live Belarus!” as Nazi salute

November 10, BPN. The interior ministry has blacklisted the popular Belarusian chant “Žyvie Biełarus!” (Long Live Belarus!) and response to it “Žyvie!” (It Lives!) as a Nazi salute.

The ministry tied the popular greeting to Nazi collaborators who allegedly used it while raising their right arm with a straightened hand. The interior ministry did not specify whether the greeting would be considered a Nazi salute if it is not accompanied by the gesture.

The ministry said it discussed the move with the justice ministry, the Committee for State Security (KGB), and the National Academy of Sciences.

Official propaganda has portrayed opposition supporters as Nazi collaborators after 2020 protests against vote rigging and Alaksandr Łukašenka’s disputed reelection.

“Žyvie Biełarus!” originated from a 1905-07 poem by Belarus’ renowned poet Janka Kupała. It has been used by Belarusian intellectuals during pro-independence rallies since the 1980s.

The greeting was often chanted by participants at official ceremonies and state-sponsored events in the early 1990s. It was the motto of the parliamentary newspaper Narodnaya Gazeta until 2020.

After the Belarusian ruler disbanded the Supreme Soviet in 1995, it became the favorite chant of the anti-Łukašenka opposition.