The book is based on materials from belarussian and russian newspapers, published between 1986-1999. Its aim is to familiarize a reader with social processes in Belarus between „pieriestroika" and the act of sign a Union treaty between Belarus and Russia. Semion Bukchin — famous Belorussian writer and journalist, member of Belorussian PEN-Club, Ph.D. in Philology. Born in Russia (Kurski district). Graduated from Philo­logical Department of Belorussian State University in Minsk. Author of numerous publications in literature, documentary works and books on the history of literature. Semion Bukchin specializes in Russian literature of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and in Russian and Belorussian literary links ("Chekhov's Period Writers" in two volumes, Moskow, 1982; "The Nation Known From Olden Ages", Minsk, 1984 and others). From the early 90s he has been writing for the independent Belorussian press. From 1992 to 1995 he was the editor of an independent Belorussian monthly "European Time". In 1996 Semion Bukchin published a collection of articles called "The Chronikle of Independent Swamp" devoted the contemporary social situation in Belarus. Since 1998 Semion Bukchin has been representing the Belorussian democratic press in Warsaw.