Siarhei Bulba (, born Siarhei Chyslau () on April 15, 1967, in

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

Belarusian SSR The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, Byelorussian SSR or Byelorussia; ; ), also known as Soviet Belarus or simply Belarus, was a republic of the Soviet Union (USSR). It existed between 1920 and 1922 as an independent state, and ...

) is a Belarusian politician, army officer and former leader of the paramilitary organisation White Legion ().

Biography

Bulba graduated from a secondary school in Minsk and later the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School in 1989. While still a cadet, he co-founded a patriotic group called "Movement-63," inspired by the 1863 uprising led by

Kastus Kalinouski Konstanty Kalinowski, or Wincenty Konstanty Kalinowski ( – ), was a Polish-Belarusian writer, journalist, lawyer and revolutionary. He was one of the leaders of the 1863 January Uprising on the lands of the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonweal ...

. In 1989, Bulba was one of the few active army officers among the founders of the

Belarusian Popular Front The Belarusian Popular Front "Revival" (BPF, ; ''Biełaruski Narodny Front "Adradžeńnie"'', ''BNF'') was a social and political movement in Belarus in the late 1980s and 1990s whose goals were national revival of Belarus, its democratization a ...

. After his mandatory military service in the

Russian Far East The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asia, Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Easte ...

, Bulba returned to

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

and became involved in various youth military formations, eventually leading to the formation of the White Legion in 1995. The organisation trained young Belarusians in military tactics and aimed to resist the regime of President

Alexander Lukashenko Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (also transliterated as Alyaksandr Ryhoravich Lukashenka; born 30 August 1954) is a Belarusian politician who has been the first and only president of Belarus since the office's establishment in 1994, making hi ...

. The group operated in secrecy and was reportedly involved in training future officers to be infiltrated in Belarusian security structures. Bulba also participated in parliamentary elections in 2003 and 2008 but was not elected. In 2008 Bulba relocated abroad, living in countries like

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

, India, and

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. He has been involved in the

World Association of Belarusians The World Association of Belarusians "Baćkaŭščyna" (, lit. "Fatherland") (Belarusian: ''Згуртаваньне Беларусаў Сьвету "Бацькаўшчына"'') is an international organisation uniting people of Belarusian descen ...

, and in 2023, he took over as head of the Belarusian Youth Hub in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

. In 2024, Bulba became the leader of the paramilitary training organisation '' Paspalitaje Rushenne''.

Personal life

Bulba is married and has two sons. In 2012, he officially changed his surname from Chyslau to Bulba. (in Belarusian) He also runs a business in the IT sector.

References

External links

Sergey Bulba: “People’s resistance in Belarus only starts”
– Eureporter.co, November 18, 2020 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bulba Belarusian military personnel Belarusian democracy activists Belarusian dissidents Living people Belarusian emigrants to Ukraine Belarusian emigrants to Poland 1967 births