Belarusian Political Emigration in West Germany at the Dawn of the Cold War (1945–1960)

Abstract

The article examines the activities of Belarusian political emigrants during the early Cold War — first in the Allied occupation zones and subsequently in West Germany. After World War II, a significant number of “displaced persons” of Belarusian origin remained in Germany. Two political forces competed for influence over them: the Belarusian Central Rada (BCR) and the Rada of the Belarusian People’s Republic (BNR). Their leaders, Radoslav Ostrovsky and Nikolai Abramchik, both sought to coordinate the entire Belarusian emigration in the West. During the war, activists from both organizations had collaborated with the Nazis to some extent; in the post-war environment, they sought to integrate themselves into the new anti-communist agenda. The results of this rivalry were ambivalent. On the one hand, the BNR Rada played a role in establishing the Belarusian division of the Institute for the Study of the USSR in Munich, though it later shifted toward a subordinate position relative to the United States. Meanwhile, the BCR leadership managed to place its activities within a broader context by joining the Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations (ABN), while maintaining its political representation and independent structures in West Germany.

Received: 29.07.2025.
Revised: 09.02.2026.
Accepted: 17.03.2026.

Citation
Barinov I. I. Belarusian Political Emigration in West Germany at the Dawn of the Cold War (1945–1960) // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 178–193 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.08