"We Remember How Lukashenko's Career Began"

• 23.07.2026, 10:52

The economy is gradually falling apart.

Lukashenko stated that fuel is already running out on farms at the start of the harvest season. The dictator blamed workers, local officials, and even security forces, who, according to him, “turn a blind eye” to embezzlement.

What does this situation reveal about the state of the Belarusian economy and working conditions after 30 years of Lukashenko’s rule?

The website Charter97.org discussed this with blogger and former political prisoner Dmitry Kozlov (“The Gray Cat”):

— In fact, Lukashenko has always talked about this. If you listen to what he said 30 years ago, it was basically the same thing. We know that his career began when he beat up a drunk tractor driver. Over all these years, he hasn’t been able to change anything; he hasn’t solved a single problem.

Another question arises: has he even tried to change anything at all? During the coronavirus pandemic, the dictator himself said that people should drink, and then he said something else. He very often contradicts himself.

The state of the Belarusian economy can be illustrated, for example, by the situation with spare parts. Sanctions were likely one of the reasons for their disappearance, especially when it comes to imported equipment. But who provoked them? Lukashenko. That’s why this issue is so complex.

The economy is gradually falling apart. If you look at the statistics, the indicators are constantly worsening. I, for example, track data for the Vitebsk region. There, the budget deficit is constantly growing, and livestock mortality rates are rising. Lukashenko has been unable to stop any of this and has done nothing about it.

Sometimes he addresses the problems, and he does so correctly. That’s why someone who doesn’t know Lukashenko well might get the wrong impression. But in reality, he only scratches the surface of the problem and doesn’t try to solve it at its core.