Lukashenko's friends are dragging Belarus down
- Apr 15
- 2 min read
While the regime talks about brotherhood with China and alliance with Russia, the country is losing Belarusians, industry, markets, and sovereignty.
In Lukashenko’s inner circle, there is growing murmuring that China has become not a salvation, but a threat to Belarusian industry. MAZ, MTZ, "Gomselmash" — everything that for decades was considered the backbone of a sovereign economy is now rapidly losing the competitive battle in its main export direction — Russia. Sales of Belarusian machinery in the Russian Federation have significantly decreased. The exception is equipment purchased for the Russian army — often through political agreements, for lack of other options, and not because of quality or market demand.
While Lukashenko publicly speaks about the "great Chinese partnership" and the "allied duty of Russia", the real economic processes show the opposite:
Russia is buying equipment more out of politeness than necessity and is increasingly shifting to domestic or Chinese production.
China has not only filled the heavy machinery market in Russia but is also ready to swallow the Belarusian market.
That is why even Lukashenko’s entourage is gradually seeing the light and is forced to admit: Belarus cannot compete with Chinese industry, and accordingly, will continue to lose its already scarce sales markets, which in turn will lead to a decline in industrial production, and along with it, the collapse of power.
Economists, independent analysts, and even part of the regime-loyal officials agree: if Belarus loses its industrial base, it will lose everything. Because industry accounts for 25–30% of GDP, tens of thousands of jobs, exports, foreign currency earnings, and taxes. Already now, the country is buying more than it sells and is covering the difference with new loans.
Lukashenko bears direct personal responsibility for the systemic collapse of Belarus's industrial and export potential. Since the beginning of his rule, he has consistently blocked any reforms and attempts at economic modernization, stifling development even in sectors where the country had a foundation.
For two decades, independent economists, managers, and international consultants have proposed reforms: privatization with transparent mechanisms, the creation of free competition, reducing the state’s share in the economy, tax reform, cost reduction, and technological renewal.
Lukashenko called all these proposals a "collapse of the country", "betrayal", "imposition of capitalism", and labeled their authors as "enemies of the people".
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