A Russian Woman Described What Shocked Her In Minsk

• 28.09.2026, 14:31

An amazing observation.

A resident of Smolensk, aaxamit, told her compatriots about a distinctive trait of Belarusians.

“Russians, did you know that alcohol is sold 24/7 in Belarus?” she writes. “By the way, in five years, I haven’t seen a single drunk person or homeless person.”

Social media users noted that, although rare, drunk people can be found in Belarusian cities, especially on the outskirts, but there are slightly fewer of them than in Russia. The website Charter97.org features some comments:

— I’m totally shocked. I first came here in 2021. We’d just crossed the border and stopped at a gas station (it was almost midnight), and not only was there alcohol at the gas station, but you could actually buy it, too.

— If you look hard enough, you’ll find both drunk people and homeless people, though we can’t quite catch up to Russia in that regard.

— People from Russia find this very surprising.

— So much for “brotherly nations.”

— All the homeless people are somewhere else.

— I saw drunk people in Minsk. I even got into a fight with them. To be honest, though, they were drunk Chinese people.

— During hockey games in Belarus, they were all taken 101 kilometers away.