Rubuta ci gaba ga wannan sakin layi - A cikin wani yunƙurin Russification a cikin 1840s, Nicholas I ya hana amfani da kalmar "Belarus" kuma ya sake sunan yankin zuwa "Yankin Arewa maso Yamma". Ya kuma hana amfani da yaren Belarusiya a makarantun gwamnati, ya yi kamfen kan wallafe-wallafen Belarusiya kuma ya yi ƙoƙarin matsa lamba ga waɗanda suka koma Katolika a ƙarƙashin Poles don su koma ga bangaskiyar Orthodox. A shekara ta 1863, matsin tattalin arziki da al'adu ya fashe cikin tawaye
, wanda Kalinowski ke jagoranta. Bayan rashin nasarar tawaye, gwamnatin Rasha ta gabatar da amfani da Cyrillic zuwa Belarusian a 1864 kuma ta hana amfani da haruffan Latin.