"We Know Where Belarusians Are Disappearing To"
- 17.07.2026, 9:27
The Uzbeks won't be able to save the situation.
Why is Lukashenko trying by any means necessary to bring in workers from abroad, when, according to him, there are hundreds of thousands of “freeloaders” in Belarus who don’t want to work? Where have Belarusian workers actually disappeared to?
The website Charter97.org discussed this with former political prisoner and coordinator of the “European Belarus” civic campaign Andrei Voinich:
— We all know where Belarusian professionals have actually disappeared to. And the issue here isn’t just about professionals as a general workforce. Specialists at various levels have left. A great many high-level specialists have left the country. And these are precisely the professionals whom the dictator will never in his life be able to replace—neither with specialists from Uzbekistan nor with any other specialists. For one simple reason: they won’t go to Belarus.
Speaking of Uzbekistan, I know for a fact that the economic situation there is quite good right now. Specialists really do earn good money. They won’t trade one bad thing for another. They don’t need to. It’s easier for them to come to Belarus just to relax. Although, again, as far as I know, Uzbeks tend to choose other destinations. Belarus isn’t exactly the most appealing country for a vacation. It’s mainly Russians and a few tourists from Europe who come here.
Right now, Belarusian professionals are boosting the economies of other countries: Lithuania, the United Kingdom, Poland, and Germany. The only ones to blame for this are Lukashenko and the incompetent clique of sycophants he has gathered around him.
They alone are to blame. First, because of the regime’s repression of Belarusians. Moreover, this repression has largely targeted the thinking segment of the population.
Second, because of working conditions in Belarus. Let’s be honest: they’re not just appalling—they’re unacceptable. No civilized country in the world can afford to treat professionals at any level—from workers to professors—this way.
We all know perfectly well what’s happening in Belarus. I don’t even know what word to use—there’s no such term. This is the forced exodus of professionals from the country, and not even because of their political views, but simply because people, by their very nature, have their own opinions.
Human beings are free by nature. When attempts are made to enslave them—and this happens at virtually every workplace and throughout the state—they feel a profound sense of unease. They radically change their attitude toward the system, pack their bags, and leave.
This is especially true in agriculture, which is actually in serious decline. Only a handful of people make good money in agriculture. These are the showpiece, “window-display” specialists: combine operators and so on. Year after year, they’re photographed, awarded “Zhiguli” cars, medals, and certificates, and even have soup brought out to them in the fields. But these are isolated collective farms. For the most part, state-owned agricultural enterprises are in deep trouble—pardon my language. Accordingly, the people working there receive the same meager wages: a pittance, as they say.
We can also take private enterprises as an example. There are a few private enterprises that actually achieve some impressive results. These are either enterprises controlled by Lukashenko or those that kiss Lukashenko’s ass so that the regime will support them. Again, this is solely for the sake of putting on a good show. But these are the exceptions.
As for the rest, if they start to achieve any success, their businesses are taken away. Repression is used against them—and not necessarily political repression. Belarus is a country that has reached great heights in repression across absolutely all ideological and non-ideological spheres. People, accordingly, don’t give a damn about anything either. Why should I work if they take everything away from me? Businesses gradually begin to suffocate, wither away, and disappear. There are examples of this. Some are public, others are not. In fact, there aren’t even dozens of them—there may be thousands.