Yury Khashchevatski: Lukashenka’s Losing Levers of Influence

We're now witnessing death throes of power.

January 28, Lukashenka demanded from the Vitsebsk region to return $1.5 billion at a meeting on agro-industrial complex issues.

The dictator recalled that Belarus is now "wasting much money on the background of the tax manoeuvre in Russia, so it's very important to look for reserves in all directions". Under these circumstances, he considered it appropriate to demand three billion Belarusian rubles from agricultural enterprises in Vitsebsk region. "The war is waging, and you're engaged in chattering," criticized Lukashenka.

A famous Belarusian film director, Yury Khashchevatski commented on the dictator's statements for Charter97.org.

- How do you assess the statement that the rural population of Vitsebsk region should give $1.5 billion to Lukashenka because of the "oil war" with Russia?

- Aliaksandr Ryhoravich is an "amazing" person... He has buried so much money in an agricultural complex that now he thinks that this money is a mineral and it can dig it up.

But it's not possible. He buried it in his "economic miracle." And now he's shifting and he doesn't know how to get it back. It cannot be done. It's wasted. It's wasted because of his mediocre economic policy. For seizing power in the country for 25 years, he tries to retain it not only in the XX century, but to pull it back to the XIX century, or even the XVII century, introducing serfdom.

We are now witnessing death throes of power, which is already dead, but still jerks. He can still bang the table with a fist; he can still intimidate somebody... All the levers have already been lost by Lukashenka. And these levers have been lost precisely because of that crazy, thoughtless, immoral economy, which Lukashenka had been planting in Belarus for a quarter of a century. As a matter of fact, this is it. It is failing. Nobody is going to give him back anything.

- The dictator actually "turns on the meter" the entire region. Let's try to give him asymmetrical answer: how much did Lukashenka owe to the Belarusian people and state during this time? How much money do we have the right to sue him?

- I can tell that if we count only his spending, it makes up a huge sum. Try to sum up the value of all his residences. The price of one of the last residences is about $300 million. He's got 17 or 18 of them. You can freely make calculations then.

Even if one costs not 300 but 100 million, it turns out that he spent as much as he "invested" in the Vitsebsk region.

Plus his Maybachs, his Boeing, everything he bought for his entertainment. Put together spending on the ice palaces he built instead of building new health care centres and new schools. You'll get another figure.

But he has buried this money not only in the agricultural complex. In everything. Meanwhile, we mean the money spent officially. At an unofficial level, he shared money for oil with his comrades-in-arms, his subordinates, who arranged the "elections", this election fraud...

How much was spent to gain the favour of the closest comrades-in-arms in Drazdy, the law enforcers? It's enough to raise hair.

No matter how much Aliaksandr Ryhoravich boasts, I assure you that his hidden accounts will also be discovered when he resigns.

- How can we get back what Lukashenka owes us?

- There's no way. You see, we're blaming Lukashenka for this. It's right, he did it all.

But use a new angle on this. And where were 9, almost 10 million Belarusians who watched this happening? Will they now assert that Lukashenka is to blame? Pardon, it's not just Lukashenka's fault. It's a separate topic. He is a crook who's made it to power. He gets his part.

In my opinion, the Belarusian society, which let it all happen, is even more responsible. It seems to me that all hopes that everything can be repaired are vain. Everything is over. We should think about the future, start from the beginning. At the same time, we should remember our obligations to ourselves, our children, our grandchildren and finally build a country where such freaks cannot appear in power and no serfdom exists.

For this, among other things, one should have both political and social consciousness, which Belarusians should finally show. It comes with self-esteem. This is what I can say.

- The dictator turned on his "meter" on the eve of the presidential elections. Do you think Belarusians have a chance to stop it this year? What should be done for that?

- There is a chance. This requires joint efforts of those who do not like Lukashenka, who have already realized what it is about. I think 80% or even 90% are aware of the horror we are trapped in.

It means that people should spend 10 days, including early voting, observation and so on, in conditions of maximum vigilance, maximum participation in public life, maximum control over the events - to serve as observers and ignore early voting.

It is very simple. These "sufferings" will take a week only. To vote for the candidate - and he will surely come - who can finally overthrow Lukashenka.

As a matter of fact, this is the only thing to do. The next day you will wake up in another country that has hope, faith, opportunities. In a few months, there will be money, new jobs. Everything will happen. One just needs to make a slight effort to remove him from power.

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