Territory Of Belarus Research Articles

Arionidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Stylommatophora) of the fauna of Belarus

The available data about the recent distribution of slugs of the family Arionidae on the territory of Belarus are summarised. The findings of a species formally new to the malacofauna of Belarus, A. fasciatus, are discussed. The material was collected in the period from 2018 to 2024 on the territory of the Gomel region (South-Eastern Belarus). The original illustrations of the habitus and anatomical features of the reproductive system are given.

Soviet Armed Forces in Lithuania in 1939–1941

During the first period of bringing the Soviet armed forces into the country, Soviet officers remained neutral in Lithuania for some time, however, they violated the Lithuanian border on the frontier, kidnapped our ordinary citizens and officials under the false pretext and tried to obtain information about the Lithuanian Armed Forces from them. After Germany had launched an attack on France, the situation changed and the behaviour of the Soviet military officers became more impudent; they used their deserters as a means of blackmail and pressure on Lithuania. Soviet military documents stored in the Lithuanian Special Archives show that it was on the third and the fourth of June, 1940 that the Soviet armed forces were started to be concentrated to occupy Lithuania. It becomes clear that the fate of the Lithuanian State was decided during the first days of June already. In the evening of 15 June, in the territory of Belarus, a new agreement signed on the deployment of the new Soviet military divisions established the occupation. The title of the reporting package of the Soviet documents Description of Combat Work of 3 Military Units and Divisions of the Armed Forces in the Baltics Campaign proves that this was a military operation of the Soviet Union – to occupy Lithuania and other Baltic countries. Utterances and statements of high-ranking Soviet officers claiming that Lithuania surrendered and accepted the ultimatum also confirm that. Instructions, prohibitions and orders issued by the Soviet military officers to the military of Lithuania, self-will and abuse of Soviet military disregarding all laws of Lithuania clearly show that the Soviet armed forces behaved as an occupying army.

Climatic and anthropogenic deflation change factors in the territory of Belarus and their regional features

The present study deals with the analysis of the frequency and recurrence of extreme deflation phenomena in the territory of Belarus. The deflation intensity was estimated using meteorological data. 810 cases of dust storms and drifting snow were recorded in the country in the period of 1961–2022, of which 238 had low intensity, 213 – medium intensity and 359 – high intensity. The deflation phenomenon dynamics was analyzed: in the period of 1961–2000 the number of cases decreased gradually, but after 2000 there was an increase in dust storms. The growth of deflation repeatability corresponds to ongoing current climate changes. The spatial zoning of the country by deflation intensity was conducted based on the relief, the composition and structure of cover deposits, and the conditions of economic development of the area. The zones are presented as follows: with low deflation intensity (central Belarusian hills and ridges, northern and eastern regions of the country), medium (central regions of the country) and high (Belarusian Polesie, Grodno, Volkovysk and Slonim uplands with adjacent plains and lowlands).

SOCIAL PORTRAIT AND POSITION OF WORKERS OF PATRIMONIAL MANUFACTORIES IN THE TERRITORY OF BELARUS IN THE 18TH CENTURY

The article is devoted to the problem of working force in manufacturing-type enterprises that arrived on Belarusian lands in the 18th century. The author strives to paint a detailed portrait of the worker in patrimonial manufactories through an analysis of the gender, quantitative, and national composition of workers in enterprises. One of the features of manufactories on the territory of Belarus was the use of the labor of serfs, therefore the problem of the social composition of workers occupies a special place in the article. During a comprehensive examination of the portrait of a worker, the issue of nationality is important. The article not only lists the nationalities of the workers, but also makes a conclusion about the reasons for the rapid replacement of foreign craftsmen by local specialists. Particular attention is paid to the description and assessment of the conditions in which the workers worked.

The Concept of the Intermarium and the Confessional Issue: Geopolitical Challenges to Belarusian Orthodoxy in ХХ – early ХХI century

The article discusses the problems of merging geopolitics and religion. Using the example of Belarusian Orthodoxy, the author shows how religious institutions can become instruments for the implementation of geopolitical strategies, in particular the Polish foreign policy doctrine of the Intermarium. The influence of this doctrine on the position of the Orthodox Church in the Baltic-Black Sea region, including on the territory of Belarus, is analyzed. The author examines the specific historical conditions of the periodic actualization of Polish geopolitical projects in relation to Belarus. Using some examples, he shows the technologies of the United States working with the Belarusian anti-Soviet emigration and the technologies of using religious institutions to implement geopolitical strategies. It is concluded that modern interpretations of the Intermarium doctrine are directly related to the policy of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in relation to the East Slavic territories associated with the Kiev Metropolis of the XV–XVII centuries. The assessment of the activities of the primate of the Orthodox Church in Poland on the Ukrainian-Belarusian lands in the first half of the 1940s is new for domestic and foreign historiography as an attempt to build a “church Intermarium”. The article contains unique materials about the anti-Soviet activities of the Belarusian emigration, its contradictions and splits. The findings actualize the issue of developing mechanisms to counteract manipulative influence against the Orthodox Church, carried out in order to achieve political benefits. Based on the results of the consideration of the problem, a recommendation is proposed regarding the need for planned systematic work to strengthen church immunity against external manipulative influence, fraught with disruption of social and confessional balance in the Republic of Belarus.

Analysis of Average Daily Temperature and Precipitation on the Territory of Belarus Using Quantile Regression

Analysis of Average Daily Temperature and Precipitation on the Territory of Belarus Using Quantile Regression

NEW FINDS OF AXE-SHAPED PENDANTS ON THE TERRITORY OF BELARUS

The article is devoted to axe-shaped pendants from the territory of Belarus, which have been found in recent years. The issues of interpretation of these ornaments, their dating and cartography are considered. The pendants from the territory of the Pripyat Polesie are evidence of the coexistence of the Gothic population and the population of the Eastern European forest zone for most of the Hunnic time, and the "hatchet" from the territory of the Ponmont region indicates the gradual movement of part of the Gothic population towards modern Lithuania. These findings can be used to further study the problems of contacts between the Eastern European forest zone and the Gothic population during this period.

RUSSIAN AND BELARUSIAN LANGUAGES IN IMPLEMENTATION CONDITIONS SOVIET NATIONAL POLITICS: DIALECTICS OF RELATIONSHIP

The article analyzes some aspects expansion of the scope of use Russion language on the territory of Belarus in the second half of the 1960 s – the first half of the 19870 s.
 The author makes assumptions that a special attitude towards the Russion Language while maintaining attention to other Languages, was determined by the need to have a real basis, from which in the future a single Soviet people with a single Language could grow.

ВОДНЫЙ БАЛАНС БЕЛАРУСИ И ЕГО ИЗМЕНЕНИЯ В РЕЗУЛЬТАТЕ ГЛОБАЛЬНОГО ПОТЕПЛЕНИЯ

Estimates of the water balance components (precipitation, evaporation, zonal and meridional advection of moisture) on the territory of Belarus for the cold (October-March) and warm (April-September) seasons have been obtained on the basis of the balance calculations of precipitation recycling and the ERA5 reanalysis data. It has been shown that the precipitation on the territory of Belarus results from westerlies in 77-84% of cases, from southerlies in 14-20% of cases, and from local evaporation in 2-4% of cases. Annual total precipitation exceeds annual evaporation by 18-30% (the maximum excess is observed in the north, and the minimum is registered in the southeast). During the warm seasons, there is a negative water balance in entire Belarus: evaporation exceeds precipitation by 8-23%. Over the period of global warming, the annual difference between precipitation and evaporation has decreased by 12-15%. The water balance for the warm season has decreased to negative values at the beginning of the current century due to the activation of summer warming. An increase in the amplitude of the water balance fluctuations has been revealed for the cold season, which indicates strengthening climate extremity.

Sacralization of natural and cultural objects in Belarus (by the example of the well near the Pаručniki village, Biešankovičy district)

This publication, based on archival documents, examines the process of sacralization of the well near the Pаručniki village, Biešankovičy district. This case is an illustrative example of the process of emergence and functioning of sacred sites on the territory of Belarus. Archival documents give us a unique opportunity to learn many aspects that remain unknown or little-known: how sacralization took place, how the tradition of veneration was formed and developed, how the shrines functioned, who took care of them, what was the fate of the donations, what was the attitude of society, the church and the authorities. Using the case of a well near the Pаručniki village with additional materials, the author proposed a model of the emergence and existence of folk shrines: sacred precedent; verification of sacred precedent; sacralization of the object; cultural formalization of the object; legitimization of the shrine; the formation of a tradition of veneration; transformation of the shrine; the decline of the shrine and its subsequent disappearance/restoration. The appearance of the image of the cross in the frozen well on the Feast of the Epiphany in 1894 was a sacred precedent. People began to consider the water healing after repeated occurrences of images of the cross. Partially confirmed rumors of healing were the reason for a mass pilgrimage to the well. The largest number of pilgrims was recorded on Easter. Archival documents have preserved the exact list of donations that were left at the well. Mostly pilgrims brought money and linen and wool textiles. The donations were managed by the inhabitants of the village of Paručniki. The donations were later transferred to the parish church in Biešankovičy. Local residents asked the church to officially recognize the shrine, but a special commission created by the governor didn’t confirm the healing properties of the water. Official recognition of the folk shrine by the church and state authorities was an important condition for the preservation and development of the tradition of veneration of natural and cultural objects in Belarus in the second half of the 19th century. The local authorities took measures to stop the veneration of the well in Paručniki: a ban on visiting, propaganda of the idea that the water was harmful. The well was never officially recognized, and its mass veneration soon ceased. The holy well has not survived to this day, but the author localized its location. The memory of the holy spring (well) was preserved only in one family in the Pаručniki village among the descendants of one of the direct participants in the events of 1894–1895.

Entrepreneurship History: An Approach That Should Become Trivial

The monograph under review is devoted to the study of issues of private entrepreneurial activity on the territory of Belarus during those periods of its history when the capitalist mode of production was of greatest importance — at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. and during the years of implementation of the New Economic Policy (NEP). Essentially, the book by N.I. Poletaeva is a comparative analysis of these periods according to the criteria that can characterize private entrepreneurial activity as a form of economic activity of the population, and entrepreneurs as a social group. This determined the structure of the work: first, the author examines the conditions of entrepreneurial activity, then analyzes the social characteristics of entrepreneurs and their territorial location, and, finally, analyzes the actual entrepreneurial activity in various sectors of the economy — agriculture, industry, trade, services, financial credit sector. Techniques and methods used by N.I. Poletaeva, when studying the history of entrepreneurial activity in Belarus, allowed her to come to consistent conclusions, but the main thing is to demonstrate such a level of research culture and such an approach to historical and economic analysis, which should become guidelines for researchers dealing with similar issues.

SEISMICITY of the TERRITORY of BELARUS in 2018–2019

A review of seismicity in the territory of Belarus within 2018–2019 based on the data of 17 digital stations is presented. A total of 72 events with Kd=4.9–8.6 were recorded in 2018 and 69 events with Kd=4.9– 8.2 − in 2019. All of the events were confined to the southern part of the territory, the Soligorsk mining area included. The comparison of NΣ and ΣE annual estimations for 2018 and 2019 with the long-term average values shows that the level of the seismic energy released in 2018 and 2019 remains low, but a number of the events for the periods under consideration are higher than the long-term average background values. There is no the stable correlation between the released seismic energy and the number of events for a long-term period of 1983−2019.

Mycobiota of Ips sexdentatus (Bö;rner, 1776) (Coleoptera, Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in Belarus

The paper presents the results of a study of the fungal component of the microbiome associated with six-toothed bark beetle on the territory of Belarus to clarify the role of this xylophage as a vector of dangerous phytopathogenic fungi. More than 360 pure cultures of fungi isolated from the surface and hemocoel of Ips sexdentatus were analyzed by cultural-morphological and molecular-genetic methods. 35 species of fungi from 25 genera of 17 families in 3 divisions were identi ed. Based on their impact on the stored wood, all species are conventionally classi ed into three groups: (1) fungi that cause discoloration of wood (mold, blue stain, etc.), (2) fungi that cause rot of growing forest and harvested wood, and (3) fungi whose . Five species of fungi from the family Ophiostomatacea e were identi ed: Leptographium Lagerb. & Melin sp., Ophiostoma ips (Rumbold) Nannf., O. minus (Hedgc.) Syd. & P. Syd., O. canum (Münch) Syd. & P. Syd., and O. piceae (Münch) Syd. & P. Syd. associated with blue wood. Heterobasidion annosum (Fr.) Bref. was found in 7.8% of the studied samples of the fungal ora. Fairly high frequency of occurrence con rms the participation of the six-toothed bark beetle in the formation of complex centres of pine desiccation in the territory of Belarus. In the I. sexdentatus population, a signi cant proportion of entomopathogenic fungi (11.4%) was recorded using the molecular genetic method, which may indicate natural processes of self-regulation, or the attenuation of the outbreak of bark beetles in Belarus.

ПОВТОРЯЕМОСТЬ ЗАСУХ НА ТЕРРИТОРИИ БЕЛАРУСИ В СВЯЗИ С АТМОСФЕРНОЙ ЦИРКУЛЯЦИЕЙ В АТЛАНТИКО-ЕВРОПЕЙСКОМ СЕКТОРЕ

In the paper, the frequency and spatial distribution of atmospheric and hydrological droughts over the territory of Belarus in 1945-2020 is assessed. Aridity is evaluated using the standardized precipitation and streamflow indices (SPI and SSFI). Trends in monthly total precipitation are determined, the features of the streamflow formation during the open-channel period are revealed. The frequency of anticyclones that determines hydrometeorological conditions on the territory of Belarus is calculated. The statistically significant increase in the number of the days with anticyclonic weather over the country during the warm season is found. The increasing frequency of dry conditions in summer months against the background of a rise in the precipitation intensity is highlighted. A simultaneous increase in the frequency of very-low-flow periods on rivers and an increase in the height of warm rainfall floods in some river basins are revealed.

Sowing time of winter crops in Belarus and recommendation for optimization in conditions of modern climate change

Assessment of agroclimate conditions of the autumn period on the territory of Belarus under the conditions of modern climate change with the distribution of cumulative temperatures during autumn period for 2000–2020 is presented. The results of analysis of estimates of moisture indicators for the autumn period (precipitation amounts, Selyaninov’s hydrothermal moisture coefficient, and productive moisture reserves in the arable soil layer of 0–20 cm) are provided. Based on literary sources, recent research by Belarusian scientists, data from observation points of the state hydrometeorological network for the phases of development of winter crops (wheat, triticale, rye) in autumn, results of studies on tillering of winter crops depending on the sowing time and weather conditions in the autumn period, an analysis was carried out and criteria for cumulative temperatures were clarified to calculate the optimal sowing time for winter crops on the territory of Belarus. The optimal time for sowing winter grain crops has been calculated for administrative regions and points of the state network of hydrometeorological observations, taking into account the predicted air temperature for September. Recommendations are given for calculating the optimal sowing time for winter crops for points with no hydrometeorological observations, as well as with possible consideration of soil types and field location.

С, О, S, Sr-Isotopes in the Osveya Horizon Deposits of the Lower Eifelian on the Territory of Belarus

The complex interpretation of distribution of δ13C and δ18О in carbonates, δ34S and 87Sr/86Sr in gypsum from the Osveya horizon (Lower Eifelian) on the territory of Belarus showed that significance of diagenetic isotope signals is low and variations of the values can be consistently explained within a sedimentation model. Along with intervals of sections with standard marine δ13C values, there are negative excursions of the parameter (up to –7…–11‰) marking segments of sequence with carbonate-sulphate rocks and smaller scale sulphate manifestations. The excursions correspond to evaporite episodes when the basin shallowed and, probably, dismembered into separate ponds. This led to increasing the role of continental water enriched with soil carbon in the geochemical system of sedimentation due to the land runoff activation and/or shallowing. Continental water could come from for a long time exposed land areas where the Eifelian deposits are absent until now as well as from periodically existing islands. Oxygen isotopic composition does not react to δ13C negative excursions by similar shifts due to the possible absence of significant difference between the δ18О values of atmospheric precipitation, giving rise to land water, and seawater in low latitudes where the territory of Belarus was situated in the Devonian. In 40% of the studied samples, the δ18О values range from –4 to –2‰, corresponding to the Eifelian “plateau” (~–3‰) in the generalized chemostratigraphic curve in the generalized chemostratigraphic curve constructed using calcite of brachiopod shells from several regions of the world. The δ18О values higher than –2‰ (44% of cases), probably, are the result of water evaporation, while figures –2‰ (16%) which may decrease up to –7.0…–9.5‰ at the peaks of evaporite episodes, are caused by water heating (sometimes very significant) during the basin shallowing. The activation of continental water role accompanying evaporite episodes is supported by the fact that the 87Sr/86Sr ratio in the Osveya horizon gypsum (0.708402–0.708742) is much higher than that of the Eifelian seawater according to a global estimate (0.70772), while δ34S of gypsum (15.5–21.2‰) in more than a half of the analyzed samples is lower than figures characteristic of the Middle Devonian seawater sulphate (19–20‰).

К ВОПРОСУ О ЦЕНЗУРЕ: ПОНЯТИЕ, СИСТЕМНЫЙ ПОДХОД К ИЗУЧЕНИЮ, ИСТОРИОГРАФИЯ ФУНКЦИОНИРОВАНИЯ ЦЕНЗУРЫ НА ТЕРРИТОРИИ БЕЛАРУСИ В ПЕРИОД 1905 – 1917 ГГ.

The article analyzes the multidimensional nature of the concept of censorship. Among the methods of censorship research, the emphasis was placed on a systematic approach. The works of native and foreign authors on the development of the censorship system in the Russian Empire and its part – censorship on the territory of Belarus in 1905 – 1917 are considered. The aim is to reveal the concept of "censorship", the importance of a systematic approach in its study, to highlight the poorly studied areas of censorship in the historiography of the issue. As a result of the research, the author came to the conclusion that at the present stage of the development of knowledge, censorship is perceived as a multidimensional phenomenon, with the attribute of dichotomy and contradictions: on the one hand, censorship is characterized by the suppression of dissent, on the other hand, it is in many ways a measure of freedom of speech and thought. The censorship apparatus is part of censorship and functions as a state regulatory body. From the standpoint of a systematic approach, the author perceives censorship as a system with many components, interrelations between them, its own structure, internal and external environment, equilibrium and non-equilibrium states. Non-equilibrium states of censorship in the studied period are characteristic for the territory of Belarus in 1905, 1907 and in 1917. Censorship was at bifurcation points, in a state of duality, uncertainty and the possibility of several outcomes. The interdependence of public mood and actions with changes in censorship, the influence of the internal and external environment found special expression in these periods. The study revealed that there has been no comprehensive study of censorship on the territory of Belarus in 1905 – 1917 either in native or foreign historiography; therefore there is a need for a detailed development of the functioning of the censorship apparatus, the study of the practice of censoring publications in the period under study.

Meteorological modeling of urban “heat islands” on the territory of Belarus under modern global warming

The article presents a quantitative estimation of intensity of urban “heat islands” in Belarus and their changes as a result of global warming. The potential opportunities for improving the urban microclimate by increasing the area of forest park zones in the city have been evaluated using mesoscale numerical simulation of meteorological conditions in cities. It is shown that in summer, Belarusian regional centers are warmer than suburban areas within 2–3 °С during the day and within 1.2–2.3 °С at night. Over the period that has passed since the beginning of this century, the regional cities have warmed by an average of 1.1–2.2 °C during the day and 1.3–1.9 °C at night. The maximum increase in daytime and nighttime temperatures in Belarusian cities has amounted within 3.1–6.0 and 2.4–4.4 °С, respectively. It is shown that replacing industrial clusters with forest park zones decreases the air temperature in the city within 2 °C and more than 2 times in evapotranspiration in the city of Homel. In the daytime, the northwest wind increases in the city and its suburb and this improves urban ventilation. At night, the afforestation of the city makes the surface layer of the atmosphere less stable, which is accompanied by the activation of local circulation cells, through which the temperature and specific humidity in the city and the suburb are smoothed.

Перспективы использования метода фиторемедиации для дезактивации загрязненных радионуклидами территорий

Soil contamination with radionuclides, the main cause of which is the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, is one of the most dangerous negative environment impact factors. Phytoremediation including cultivation of «energy» crops is an effective method for decontamination of territories contaminated with radionuclides. The advantage of this approach is the possibility of using biomass as a renewable source of green energy in combination with the gradual reclamation of polluted soils. A promising crop for the purposes of phytoremediation is willow, the fast-growing species of which provide a high yield of biomass from a production plantation. A problematic issue is the safe use of willow biomass. The assessment of the conditions for the transition of radioactive cesium into willow biomass was carried out on the territories of Belarus contaminated after the Chernobyl accident. Experiments have shown that the predicted content of 137Cs in the wood of a fast-growing willow is significantly lower than the level allowed for wood fuel according to the standards established for the Republic of Belarus (740 Bq/kg). Even at the level of soil pollution at which they are removed from agricultural use (40 Ci/km2), the content of 137Cs in wood will be from 35 to 120 Bq/kg (depending on the dose of potash fertilizers).

Improving the accuracy of short-term numerical weather forecasts for the territory of Belarus using the mesoscale WRF model and earth remote sensing data

The problem of improving the WRF numerical weather model performance for the territory of Belarus by assimilating the Earth remote sensing data is considered. It is shown that for the winter period, the use of satellite data of high spatial resolution, including on the structure of land use , albedo, leaf index and photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by the underlying surface can reduce a root-mean-square error of the short-term forecast (up to 48 h) of the air surface temperature by 0.53–1.11 °С. For the summer period, on the basis of numerical experiments the optimal correction factor for the land surface albedo was estimated. This made it possible to reduce a root-mean-square error of temperature forecast at the meteorological stations of Belarus for the lead time of +12, +24, +36, and +48 h by an average of 0.30 °С, 0.10 °С, 0.15 °С, and 0.16 °С, respectively.