Eastern Vilnius region
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Eastern Vilnius region is the Lithuanian name for the part of territory of the Vilnius region that belongs to Belarus.
After the collapse of the Russian empire Vilnius region was disputed between Belarus, Lithuania and Poland, but finally became part of Poland within its Wilno Voivodship, Nowogrodek Voivodship and Białystok Voivodship. Still, it continued to be claimed by Lithuania on the basis of the Lithuanian-Soviet peace treaty of 1920 which delimited the Soviet-Lithuanian boundary leaving Vilnius region in Lithuania.
In September 1939, the Soviet Union invaded the region and gave its western part including Vilnius with its surroundings to Lithuania in exchange for stationing of Soviet troops on Lithuanian territory. Lithuanian authorities had no other option but to unwillingly accept this solution. At the same time, the Eastern Vilnius region remained part of the USSR and was not given to Lithuania, despite of the fact that the Soviet Union used to recognise it as part of Lithuania previously.
In 1940, when all of Lithuania was annexed by the USSR, and the Lithuanian SSR was formed, more territories of Vilnius region were attached to it, mostly those with a Polish or Lithuanian majority of population. The Eastern Vilnius region with a Belarusian majority of population, was attached to the Belarusian SSR. Lithuanians, who made a majority only at certain places of Eastern Vilnius region, were russianised: the people had no opportunity to learn the Lithuanian language at school or to use it officially. In censuses these people were forced to sign as either Poles, Russians or Belarusians (disputed). This way now only some old people speak Lithuanian in a few places in the region.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Eastern Vilnius region remained part of the Hrodna and Vitebsk voblasts of Belarus. For those few Lithuanians still remaining in the region it was now easy to acquire Lithuanian citizenship and move to Lithuania.
[edit] Western Vilnius region
The situation was different in Western Vilnius region, which was part of the Lithuanian SSR (given to Lithuania in 1939 and 1940). Some claim that Soviets tried to polonize (russificate) it, so currently even in some territories formerly with a Lithuanian or Belarusian majority most people consider themselves as Polish. This was done to weaken the position of Lithuanians, who were generally seen as unloyal (Partisan War (1944 - 1953), continuing resistance to Soviet regime etc.)
In the 80s the Soviet government proposed an idea of a Polish autonomous area in this part of the Lithuanian SSR. This plan helped to win the support of local Poles, the majority of whom in the elections after perestroika voted for Communist party members rather than pro-independence politicians. However, as the absolute majority of Lithuanians voted for the pro-independence politicians, Lithuania became independent, and the Polish autonomous area was never established.
In Southern Sudovia, claimed in the interwar period by Lithuania as Suvalkai region, which eventually belong to Poland, the situation is continuing to be difficult (disputed): there is some discrimination against Lithuanians (?), however there are Lithuanian schools as well as towns with Lithuanian majority there.
