Lukashenko was born on 31 August 1954 in the settlement of Kopys in the Vitebsk Oblast of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. Starting with an interview given in 2009 Lukashenko has said that his actual birthday is 31 August, the same as his son's Nikolai's. This caused some confusion as all official sources had said 30 August 1964 up until then. An explanation was later given that his mother had entered the hospital on the 30th in labor but not given birth until after midnight.