Why is Belarus called White Russia?

The most common theory suggests that the name “White Russia” describes the part of Lithuania that had been populated chiefly by Slavs, as opposed to “Black Russia,” which was predominantly inhabited by pagan Balts. Another theory suggests that the old Russian lands that were not conquered by the darker Northern and Central Asian Tatars had been referred to as “White Russia.” Both theories refer to the ethnicity of Belarussians. Alternative explanations may be the white clothing worn by the local Slavic population or that the color white was associated with the west._x000D_

Belarus News Fact:

_x000D_European airlines are avoiding flying over Belarus following the arrest of a 26-year-old journalist and activist, Raman Pratasevich. On Sunday, May 23, 2021, a Ryanair jetliner, on which Pratasevich was traveling, was ordered to land when flying over Belarus under a bomb threat pretense. The EU demanded Pratasevich’s release while recommending European carriers avoid Belarus’s airspace. Polish carrier LOT, Baltic airlines, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, and others said they would refrain from flying over the authoritarian country.