Dinamo Minsk v Zenit St Petersburg

[JeMeSouviens]

Good news for travellers - you don't need a visa to visit Belarus provided the visit is 5 days or less.

[Keith_M]

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Good news for travellers - you don't need a visa to visit Belarus provided the visit is 5 days or less.

I'm sure those thirty or so Molde fans will be delighted to hear it.








Anyway, for this that think there's nothing to do in Belarus.... Really?

[JoeT_WasTheBest]

I’m sorry if it’s been mentioned before but I can’t find it if it has! Do we know if it has already been decided, what date we would be at home and what date we would be away?

IF we get through, of course!

[Sir David Gray]

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I’m sorry if it’s been mentioned before but I can’t find it if it has! Do we know if it has already been decided, what date we would be at home and what date we would be away?

IF we get through, of course!

It hasn't been absolutely confirmed anywhere but we came out the hat second so we'll almost certainly have the second leg at home.

So first leg away - 23rd August
Second leg home - 30th August

[Dashing Bob S]

Wonder the odds the bookies would offer for Molde v Zenit in the next round? Still a likely outcome.

[Jamesie]

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Wonder the odds the bookies would offer for Molde v Zenit in the next round? Still a likely outcome.

Basically you're looking for a double in the "to qualify" market - which doesn't appear to be available yet.

[Jamesie]

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Good news for travellers - you don't need a visa to visit Belarus provided the visit is 5 days or less.

I understand visa free travel only applies if your visit starts by air and through flying into Minsk Airport (and the 5 days has recently been extended to 30 days in that case). For anyone thinking of overland travel from Lithuania, Poland etc you will require a tourist visa and I believe that will set you back 120 euros from the Belarusian Embassy in London using their 48 hour service. Unless you already live in London that's all a bit tight IMHO for making an application on Friday via post on Friday and travelling on Wednesday.

[JeMeSouviens]

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I understand visa free travel only applies if your visit starts by air and through flying into Minsk Airport (and the 5 days has recently been extended to 30 days in that case). For anyone thinking of overland travel from Lithuania, Poland etc you will require a tourist visa and I believe that will set you back 120 euros from the Belarusian Embassy in London using their 48 hour service. Unless you already live in London that's all a bit tight IMHO for making an application on Friday via post on Friday and travelling on Wednesday.

Ah, I see. I guess you could get flights in from Vilnius, Warsaw etc?

[Jamesie]

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Ah, I see. I guess you could get flights in from Vilnius, Warsaw etc?

Yup no problems - trouble is getting to Vilnius / Warsaw fairly cheaply - I am struggling to find good prices!

[Jack Hackett]

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Yup no problems - trouble is getting to Vilnius / Warsaw fairly cheaply - I am struggling to find good prices!

I checked prices from Edinburgh to Minsk last night when they took a 4 goal lead and you could get them for £320 for Tuesday to Friday. The cheapest now, less than 24hrs later, are £458

[BullsCloseHibs]

Why do you require a visa to enter Belarus? Don't quite understand when they are no longer part of the Soviet Empire. (free movement and all that jazz)

[Billy Whizz]

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Why do you require a visa to enter Belarus? Don't quite understand when they are no longer part of the Soviet Empire. (free movement and all that jazz)

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-ad...y-requirements

[Liberal Hibby]

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Why do you require a visa to enter Belarus? Don't quite understand when they are no longer part of the Soviet Empire. (free movement and all that jazz)

They're the last remaining part.

[BullsCloseHibs]

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They're the last remaining part.

Really, i didn't know that. Better read up on em!
Cheers

[hibby rae]

If we get past Molde, what would the likely (gmt) ko times be away from home?

Would they be earlier?

[Jamesie]

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Why do you require a visa to enter Belarus? Don't quite understand when they are no longer part of the Soviet Empire. (free movement and all that jazz)

I actually just checked (wild Friday evening for me), and for the 15 former Soviet states UK passport holders still require visa for six of them (Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan).

Generally the closer the political, economic and cultural similarities between two countries, the less likely there is to be restrictions on travel between those two states by their respective nationals. So in essence, the reason you need a visa for Belarus is politics - the country still retains strong ties to Russia (although President Lukashenko (who has been in post since 1994), has had somewhat of a strained relationship with Putin over the past few years - see the links below.

What Liberal Hibby is getting at, I think, is that Lukashenko is seen as an authoritarian ruler who regularly wins spectacularly high percentages of the vote in the presidential election and still rules with a fairly strong hand: I remember in 2005 some ill advised Scotland fans decided to sing a song about his wife and the few locals who could speak English were clearly panicked.

I would find it fascinating to go back to Minsk. Crossing the border from Lithuanian in 2005 immediately felt like going back to the mid 1980s, if not earlier - it was as if the place was in a time warp. McDonalds was the place where all the local youths hung out as it was the trendiest place in town. I was told by Scotland fans who had visited in 1997 that the country had progressed significantly since the, which I found unfathomable.

Looking at Google Maps tonight though and seeing international chain hotels and restaurants makes me think that the country has significantly westernised since that last visit. I would be interested to learn the reasons for that - I suspect Lukashenko may have seen the benefit of Western influences, at least to a tempered extent, to avoid any dissent or revolution of the type seen in places like Georgia or Kyrgyzstan. I wouldn't be surprised if China has been allowed to significantly invest too.

https://www.politico.eu/article/tale...ussia-belarus/
https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/02/06...a-and-belarus/

[H18 SFR]

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I actually just checked (wild Friday evening for me), and for the 15 former Soviet states UK passport holders still require visa for six of them (Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan).

Generally the closer the political, economic and cultural similarities between two countries, the less likely there is to be restrictions on travel between those two states by their respective nationals. So in essence, the reason you need a visa for Belarus is politics - the country still retains strong ties to Russia (although President Lukashenko (who has been in post since 1994), has had somewhat of a strained relationship with Putin over the past few years - see the links below.

What Liberal Hibby is getting at, I think, is that Lukashenko is seen as an authoritarian ruler who regularly wins spectacularly high percentages of the vote in the presidential election and still rules with a fairly strong hand: I remember in 2005 some ill advised Scotland fans decided to sing a song about his wife and the few locals who could speak English were clearly panicked.

I would find it fascinating to go back to Minsk. Crossing the border from Lithuanian in 2005 immediately felt like going back to the mid 1980s, if not earlier - it was as if the place was in a time warp. McDonalds was the place where all the local youths hung out as it was the trendiest place in town. I was told by Scotland fans who had visited in 1997 that the country had progressed significantly since the, which I found unfathomable.

Looking at Google Maps tonight though and seeing international chain hotels and restaurants makes me think that the country has significantly westernised since that last visit. I would be interested to learn the reasons for that - I suspect Lukashenko may have seen the benefit of Western influences, at least to a tempered extent, to avoid any dissent or revolution of the type seen in places like Georgia or Kyrgyzstan. I wouldn't be surprised if China has been allowed to significantly invest too.

https://www.politico.eu/article/tale...ussia-belarus/
https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/02/06...a-and-belarus/

Fantastic post.

[Dancehibs]

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I checked prices from Edinburgh to Minsk last night when they took a 4 goal lead and you could get them for £320 for Tuesday to Friday. The cheapest now, less than 24hrs later, are £458

What airport in Minsk is the better one to land at ?

People need to start viewing flights in private mode

[nonshinyfinish]

Assuming (and it’s a big assumption) we get past Molde, the ideal result in their second leg is Zenit to win 5–1: Minsk go through on away goals but are unable to contest the playoff round as they’ve been killed as a club.

[Jamesie]

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What airport in Minsk is the better one to land at ?

People need to start viewing flights in private mode

Minsk-1 closed a few years ago so the only option is Minsk-2.

[Dancehibs]

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Minsk-1 closed a few years ago so the only option is Minsk-2.

Cheers

[Springbank]

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I'm sure those thirty or so Molde fans will be delighted to hear it.








Anyway, for this that think there's nothing to do in Belarus.... Really?

Minsk and Totties

[One Day Soon]

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Assuming (and it’s a big assumption) we get past Molde, the ideal result in their second leg is Zenit to win 5–1: Minsk go through on away goals but are unable to contest the playoff round as they’ve been killed as a club.

Impeccable logic - all that's missing is big nose puling pints behind a bar at the expense of the Zenit fans.

[One Day Soon]

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Minsk and Totties

That's a right there.

[Jack Hackett]

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What airport in Minsk is the better one to land at ?

People need to start viewing flights in private mode

One is an experienced flight searcher

Private mode or not, the bean counters still know how many hits they've had on a particular route on a particular day. Flight prices fluctuate because of this. Hiding your identity has little effect overall

[Sir David Gray]

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If we get past Molde, what would the likely (gmt) ko times be away from home?

Would they be earlier?

The game last night kicked off at 6pm UK time so probably then.

[Lancs Harp]

Never been to Belarus but a friend went there a couple of years ago, the Clever bar (Irish bar) he said was well worth a visit.

[hibby rae]

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The game last night kicked off at 6pm UK time so probably then.

That'll mean a quick dash to the pub from work then!

[Albanian Hibs]

Cant wait for a trip to Belarus.

[Mixu62]

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One is an experienced flight searcher

Private mode or not, the bean counters still know how many hits they've had on a particular route on a particular day. Flight prices fluctuate because of this. Hiding your identity has little effect overall

Have it on good authority that if searching for flights online, clear cookies after each search. Price creeps up with each repeat search.