Invisible Jets and a Golden Toilet: What Lukashenka Flies on for Public Money

He may have to run by air to Venezuela.

Since the beginning of the 50s and the massive appearance of passenger aviation, the government squadron has become an integral attribute of the state's top officials. Having a personal passenger plane was considered a matter of prestige not only for the ruler but also for the country as a whole. The aircraft, built by special order of the heads of state, only outwardly resembled ordinary airliners. Inside, they looked more like luxurious palaces, decorated with expensive wood, leather, and sometimes gold. This fashion has not spared Belarus, dear to our heart, whose government aircraft fleet has become a state open secret, writes the Busel edition.

BOARD No. 1

The government squadron, inherited by Belarus from the USSR, was not distinguished by its scope and pathos. The ruler and his retinue were carried by the old TU-134 and Yak-40. After a year of Lukashenka's rule, in 1995, Belarus bought a brand new TU-154M for him. Despite the very difficult economic situation, the budget found money even for the VIP layout of this aircraft. Lukashenka's ambitions made themselves felt again after eight years. In 2003, a brand new Boeing 737 with tail number EW-001PА, also a VIP configuration, was purchased to replace the not new, but not yet old TU-154M. By that time, "TU-134" had developed its resource and became a monument, so "TU-154" was given to the use of "servants of the people" of a lower rank. The cost of the new toy was estimated at $ 100 million. The geography of political tourism EW-001PА was very wide: Boeing-737 was seen in the USA, Russia, Turkey, China, Austria, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and even Switzerland.

ON THE WINGS OF BELARUSBASHI

It seems that the eight-year cycle has almost biological significance for Lukashenka. Eight years later, in the spring of 2012, the Belarusian budget again paid the dictator to purchase another airplane. This time, Boeing-767, bought by Lukashenka from his late friend, colleague, and sworn brother, Turkmenbashi Saparmurat Niyazov, became board # 1. The aircraft received the number EW-001PB in Belarus. Let the reader remember these numbers as they lead to some very interesting analogies.

Niyazov's Boeing 767-300ER, who suddenly went to hell, was manufactured in an exclusive VIP version. The salon is trimmed with natural leather and precious woods. Plumbing is made with precious metals and stones. The aircraft is additionally equipped with all known types of communication, as well as an electronic warfare system for protection against surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles. In the event of an accident, passengers could leave the plane by parachute.

Perhaps the most important advantage of Turkmenbashi's plane is its range. It is capable of flying up to 10.4 thousand kilometers without refueling; that is, it can get without intermediate refueling to Venezuela or China, where Lukashenka was a frequent guest earlier.

The plane was sent for repairs to Germany right after the purchase, and the old board of the dictator Boeing 737 was given to the "servant;" now, members of the Belarusian government periodically fly on it.

The approximate cost of such a plane is estimated at $ 260 million. According to unofficial information, the plane cost the country's budget $ 124 million. Lukashenka did not confirm or deny this information during a press conference.

"And such a new plane costs 250-300 million under the head of state. Airplanes are not cheap. And so that you know, the ruler's plane is 3-5 years old, and it is being changed. We bought the plane from the Turkmen side in order to save money. Since the new one is 2.5 times more expensive than what the Turkmen side sold to us," Lukashenka told the press.

The dictator did not deceive anyone; he really saved, but only on the people of Belarus. After all, analogs of presidential airplanes that continuously operate on passenger airlines serve for at least 25 years.

MONEY FOR AIR

If you trust the official information, then the bottom line of the government squadron is three aircraft.

"Tu-154," the first board of Lukashenka, last flew in 2017 and is currently put up for sale. In 2018, an attempt to sell it at an auction failed: there were no people willing to buy the board.

The Boeing 737, numbered EW-001PА, is officially in service. The last time, according to the radarbox service, it took off on January 25. After winding several circles between Minsk and Mahileu, it sat down again at the Minsk airport. According to the most conservative estimates, such warming up of the liner cost the budget at least $ 30 thousand.

The situation with the Boeing 767 (number EW-001PB) is more complicated. Judging by the statements of Lukashenka's press secretary Natallia Eismant, plane number 1 has already exhausted its resource and needs to be replaced. However, the same radarbox reports that EW-001PV circled between Minsk and Mahileu on February 8.

In addition to three VIP planes, Lukashenka also has a fleet of helicopters.

The dictator likes to appear in front of the public on an old helicopter Mi-172 with registration number EW-001DA, manufactured specially for Lukashenka at the Kazan Helicopter Plant. Also, in the government fleet, there is a Mi-172 helicopter with the number EW-002DA. Previously there was a Mi-8 with the number EW-25049 (before that, it had the number EW-002PE).

INVISIBLE JETS

Belarus's government squadron has become the same symbol of deceit and ostentation, like all public events of Lukashenka. As the Busel editorial staff found out, Lukashenka has a secret fleet of at least three business jets, which his associates use.

The most controversial of these, perhaps, is the Gulfstream G550 with tail number EW-001PJ. Arriving in Minsk in September 2020, this aircraft has a livery in government colors and a catalog value of $ 61.5 million. Officially, it is not in the government squadron, at least as the press secretary of the ruler Natallia Eismant said, stating that the Gulfstream G550 with tail number EW-001PJ "has nothing to do with Lukashenka." However, the number of the car starting with "001", which only Lukashenka's personal planes have, and the Belarusian registration code EW say otherwise. According to the resource flightradar24, the operator of the EW-001PJ is Belavia.

If you delve into the history of the appearance of the EW-001PJ in Belarus, a number of interesting facts will emerge. The customer for the Gulfstream G550, manufactured in the USA in 2019, was the Austrian company Eolinus Beteiligungsverwaltung. The owner of this enterprise is a certain Aleksey Lysenkov, the general director of the Russian company Yularus. The lion's share of Yularus (99%) belongs to the Estonian company NT Marine, 1% to Lysenkov.

The main owner of Yularus is engaged in the export of coal and oil to Ukraine and belongs to the empire of the Belarusian oligarch Mikalai Varabei.

It is not known what kind of agreements Lukashenka had with Varabei, but the acquisition by the oligarch's structures of an expensive business jet for the dictator is a fact.

By the way, EW-001PJ made its first flight to Warsaw on October 25, 2020. Just at the time when the 48th General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees was being held in Warsaw. The Belarusian delegation was headed by Viktar Lukashenka. The next flights EW-001PJ made to the Al-Batin Airport (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates). The frequency of flights surprisingly coincided with the appearance of Lukashenka and his sons in Abu Dhabi.

WE ARE ALL WINGED FROM BIRTH

In addition to the brand new Gulf Stream, the Lukashenka family also has a Bombardier 200ER business jet issued on Belavia. Prime Minister of Belarus Raman Halouchanka usually travels on it on official business, sometimes yielding the plane to Lukashenka's middle son, Dzmitry.

The geography of EW-301PJ flights is very extensive: Armenia, Moscow, Kazakhstan, Ethiopia. In all cases, Halouchanka's schedule coincided with the flights of EW-301PJ.

Next on the list of luxury service toys is the Embraer EMB-135BJ business jet with the tail number M-ABEC, registered with Carys Investment Group, registered offshore on the Isle of Man. This board is used by the head of Lukashenka's affairs department Viktar Sheiman and his friend and business partner, Aliaksandr Zigman. The M-ABEC board was spotted at the meeting between Sheiman and Zigman and Golovchenko in Ethiopia on January 31 this year.

The Lukashenka family had one more Belavia plane - Bombardier CRJ-100 with the number EW-101PJ, but on February 14, 2008, not having served even a year, it crashed during takeoff at the Yerevan airport.

Perhaps the cherry on the cake is Lukashenka's new toy - the Agusta-Westland AW-139 helicopter. Having received the number EW-001PH similar to all presidential aircraft, the helicopter worth $ 14 million is officially registered with the border service but has a VIP configuration and carries the dictator.

According to information from competent sources, this expensive toy was presented to Lukashenka by the Russian billionaire and philanthropist Mikhail Gutseriev. According to the air service RadarBox, the EW-001PH regularly flies over the dictator's residence in Astrashytski Haradok. Lukashenka uses Agusta-Westland AW-139 for personal purposes to move between his own residence and Minsk. A distance of 1000 km allows you to get from the Astrashytski town to anywhere in Belarus without refueling.

POOR NEIGHBORS

While Lukashenka changes planes more often than the average Belarusian car, things are quite different in neighboring states.

The EU economy leader, Germany, has its own government aircraft fleet, comparable in size to the Belarusian one. The German government's air fleet consists of two registered Airbus A340s: Konrad Adenauer and Theodor Heuss. The plane, named after the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Konrad Adenauer, flew on Lufthansa routes for ten years until it was re-equipped for government needs in 2011. At the same time, Angela Merkel, unlike Lukashenka, does not complain about the age of the plane. For domestic flights to Germany, two A319s are used for 44 passengers each. German politicians fly over short distances on four compact Bombardier Global 5000 liners.

State Aviation

State-owned airline "Ukraine," serving the Ukrainian state's top officials, had three planes and one helicopter as of the end of 2019. The role of board No. 1 is performed by the corporate version of the Airbus A319CJ of 2007 release. For internal transportation, members of the government use two Ukrainian-made aircraft: An-74TK-300 manufactured in 2012 and An-148-100 manufactured in 2017. The role of the presidential helicopter is performed by the 2002 Mi-8MTV-1. The presidents of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Moldova fly by regular flights; in particular, the former President of Moldova Igor Dodon was often seen as an economy class passenger.

Poland gave up its own fleet; it was disbanded in 2011. Since that time, all the highest officials of the Polish state have been flying by LOT aircraft.

SKY. AUNT SONIA. TOILET

While Lukashenka vowed to the people that he was poor and that he had no money to repair the main presidential board of the Boeing-767, numbered EW-001PB, bloggers from Nexta sneaked into the same board and filmed its luxurious decoration, including Aliaksandr Ryhoravich's personal golden aviation toilet.

"Busel" understands that it is not worthwhile for Belarus # 1 to take an example from his neighbors, who modestly fly in business class of regular airlines, but really wants to remind the old Odessa joke about Aunt Sonya, who had three golden toilet bowls at home in Odessa, but when they came for her, messed herself straight in the hallway.