"Lukashenko, Shouting, 'Valodzha, Valodzhenka, Forgive This Old Fool,' Scrambled Up The Tower With A Screwdriver."
- 25.06.2026, 22:26
He's willing to do anything to make sure Ukraine leaves the oil refinery alone.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy stated that the Belarusian side had shut down the relay stations used to guide Russian drones. I’m willing to believe it.
Lukashenko called Zelenskyy via video link and, shouting, “Valodzha, Valodzhenka, forgive this old fool, just don’t shoot me,” scrambled up the relay tower with a screwdriver.
And do you know why?
We’re entertaining ourselves with videos showing the reactions of our dear Russian friends to the fuel crisis.
The crisis is caused by a combination of three factors:
1) The successful deployment of Ukrainian drones;
2) A seasonal increase in demand;
3) Panic buying.
The Russian government is now trying to eliminate the panic factor to reduce the negative impact.
And if you look at reports from Russia, many gas stations have fuel in stock. And there are no lines. The only thing is that the price is 1.5 to 2 times higher than usual.
An interesting detail is that the Russian government, using a so-called “dampener” (compensation mechanism), is forcing Russian fuel producers to stay within a specific price range. This explains restrictions like a 20-liter limit per person and signs of a shortage.
This rule does not apply to foreign-produced fuel.
So what does that mean? That’s right.
Lukashenko is selling fuel from the Mozyr and Novopolotsk refineries in Russia at 1.5 to 2 times the price of its Russian counterpart. And thanks to the current frenzy, this is the Minsk leader’s moment to shine.
He’ll do anything to ensure Ukraine leaves those refineries alone for the next three months. That’s why Belarusian officials are keeping quiet as mice about the relay stations, merely lamenting the need for peace.
Yes, there are nuances. If the fuel is produced from Russian raw materials supplied on a tolling basis, they can’t mess around with prices—there will be restrictions. But this leaves plenty of room for manipulation regarding volumes, nominal suppliers, and so on.
It might suddenly turn out that Lukashenko and Pashinyan mutually hate each other, but the gasoline in Mozyr is made from the world-famous Armenian Ararats oil, supplied in special containers—yes.
Belarus’s production capacity isn’t enough to meet Russia’s needs, but it’s more than enough to make a few generations of a dozen families rich.
That’s why a single remark by Zelenskyy—that Ukraine is monitoring fuel deliveries to the Russian army—was enough to set the priorities straight. Zelensky emphasized: “We’re not making any threats—we’re simply observing.” And they believed him.
If Lukashenko were to go back on his word, the financial interests of various influential figures would suffer—and they certainly wouldn’t thank him for it.
Alexey Kopytko, “Telegram”