Alexander Lukashenko is president of a landlocked country.
Aleksandr Grigoryevich Lukashenko ( Алякса́ндр Рыго́равіч Лукашэ́нка , Aliaksandr Ryhoravič Lukašenka , Алекса́ндр Григо́рьевич Лукаше́нко born 30 August 1954 ) is the President of Belarus , in office since 20 July 1994 . Belarus has been labeled `` Europe 's last dictatorship '' by some Western journalists , on account of Lukashenko 's self-described authoritarian style of government . Belarus ( [ bɛləˈruːs ] Беларусь , Belaruś or Bełaruś , [ bʲɛlaˈrusʲ ] ; [ Беларусь , Belarusʹ , bʲɪlɐˈrusʲ ] ) , officially the Republic of Belarus , formerly known by its Russian name Byelorussia or Belorussia , is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe bordered by Russia to the northeast , Ukraine to the south , Poland to the west , and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest .