Will Belarus lose its Soviet-era name tag in Lithuania? 64 White-red-white flag of Belarus, which is associated with the country's opposition. / E. Blaževič/LRT Lithuania is not the only country in the world that has adopted ‘White Russia’ as the official name for Belarus. What legacy does the name carry, and what would changing the name mean for Belarusians? “We cannot call Alexander Lukashenko a legitimate [president], because the elections in Belarus were neither free nor democratic,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda told Sky News in an interview just five days after the presidential elections in the neighbouring country. Soon after, Lithuanian media started referring to Lukashenko only as an “illegitimate president”, while Ukraine said it would only mention him by name.