Circle the area on this map
C. Finland’s citizens enjoy the strongest political and civil rights in the world, according to an annual survey by Freedom House in Washington, D.C. Norway and two other nations rank as the second-freest in the survey. Canada is among six countries in third place, and Estonia is among seven nations that rank fourth. China is considered “not free,” like Belarus and Russia.
D. In the 9th century, the area that is modern Belarus became part of the Kyivan Rus', based in what is now Ukraine. Beginning in the 13th century, the area was ruled by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania which later joined with Poland to create the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. That union ended in 1795 when it was carved up by Russia, Prussia, and Austria. Belarus became part of the Russian Empire, later replaced by the Soviet Union.
B. Poland spent 4.3% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defense last year. Lithuania spent 4%, and Norway spent 3.2%. The United States, which criticized its allies for spending too little on defense, spent 3.19% of its GDP on defense in 2025. However, the United States spends more on defense than the next five biggest spenders – China, Russia, Germany, India, and Britain – combined.
D. All three countries have reported damage from the drones and scrambled jets to shoot down errant weapons. While Belarus is a Russian ally, it has alerted NATO members Lithuania and Poland about misdirected Russian drones headed toward them.