https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/08/3 … d_country/

The former Soviet republic of Belarus has declared war on an imaginary country that exists within its own borders.

The unprecedented move - which to be honest sounds no more or less mad than most of the rest of the news in these increasingly interesting times - has come about due to a series of war games called Zapad 2017, set to take place between September 14 and 20.

The scenario for these exercises involve Belarusian and Russian forces facing a combined invasion by three imaginary nations on Belarus's borders: Vesbaria (which occupies the territory of real-life Lithuania), Lubenia (which equates to Poland) and Veyshnoria, which in the war game scenario occupies a space in the northwest of Belarus itself. . . .

However, if [authoritarian Belarus leader Alexander] Lukashenko was hoping that the creation of this existential threat within the bosom of the motherland would unite his people in nationalist fervour, it seems he may be disappointed. Instead, the Belarusian population have seemingly taken the nascent nation to heart, furnishing it with its own flag, history, foreign ministry (complete with satirical Twitter account) and Wikipedia page.