Vyetka

Vyetka or Vetka (Belarusian: Ветка, romanized: Vietka; Russian: Ветка; Polish: Wietka) is a town in Gomel Region, Belarus. It is situated on the bank of the Sozh River, and serves as the administrative center of Vyetka District. As of 2025, it has a population of 8,580. It was established in 1685 by the Old Believer Priest Group (a branch of the Russian Orthodox Church) who were known as the Theodesians and who had migrated from Central Russia. At the time it was founded, Vyetka was on the territory of the Great Duchy of Lithuania. The town's prosperity brought on the wrath of the Russian Empire and as result, it was gutted twice (1735 and 1764) by the Tsarist army in the 18th century. Vyetka is located on the left bank of the Sozh River, in the area which was highly radioactive due to the nuclear fallout of the Chernobyl disaster that occurred on April 26, 1986.