Lukashenko And His Friends Drag The Corpse From Corner To Corner
26- 15.02.2026, 9:15
- 21,814
A prime example of the mediocrity of the dictator and his vertical.
At the meeting on the development of Vitsebsk voblast Lukashenka recalled: exactly a year ago Vitsebskdrev was stopped. On this occasion, he addressed claims to his subordinates: "Where are you going to saw fallen trees lying on the forest edges? Like before, in the 1930s - from above, from below and with long saws?"
In fact, the fate of "Vitebskdrev" is a vivid example of Lukashenko's inept economic management. Let us briefly recall how hundreds of millions of dollars were buried on his initiative.
2009. Lukashenko visited Vitebskdrev, which was already experiencing a crisis due to a sharp drop in demand abroad for its products (wood boards, windows, doors, etc.).
Vitebskdrev was lagging behind even among other similar enterprises in Belarus: it was obvious that its products were not needed in the same volume. Nevertheless, Lukashenko demanded to invest in Vitebskdrev, as well as in nearly a dozen woodworking enterprises.
2013. Lukashenko reprimanded officials for slow modernization. He demanded to realize the investment project as soon as possible. A year later, Prosecutor General Alexandr Konyuk announced the opening of a criminal case for the failure to modernize Vitebskdreva. Under enormous pressure from the authorities, the modernization was completed.
Years later, it turned out that Lukashenko initiated the large-scale modernization of the woodworking industry and invested more than $4 billion (!) in all enterprises.
2021. According to Lukashenko, during his visit to the regional center it turned out that Vitebskdrev has not yet reached profitable operation after modernization (!).
2025. In February, the work of "Vitebskdrev" was stopped. "SB" reported that the debts of the enterprise reached 100 million dollars (!).
...The authorities do not name the exact figure, but it is obvious that in total the modernization and unprofitable work of "Vitebskdreva" alone cost the budget several hundred million dollars. And this money was buried at the request of Lukashenko, who absolutely refused to take into account the reality.
And the reality was that for a number of reasons the products of Vitebskdreva were not in demand. Because of the general decline in demand, because of competition (in Russia the market was seized by local private holdings with a flexible strategy), because of the low efficiency of state management and because of Lukashenko's policy.
In November 2025, the general director of Vitebskdreva Yuri Doilin explained that after the introduction of sanctions by the EU, the woodworking industry was among the first to suffer. However, it should be reminded that the enterprise was unprofitable even before that.
Lukashenko and his friends turned "Vitebskdrev" into an industrial corpse, but even now they continue to drag it from corner to corner instead of burying it.
In November, chairman of the Standing Committee of the "House of Representatives" on economic policy Viktor Nikolaykin said that "the enterprise will be preserved.
"The government meeting approved the proposals of the management of JSC "Vitebskdrev" on the modernization of the enterprise, including the issues of financial support of the project. It implies renewal of the existing technological line, installation of additional equipment and organization of production of demanded products made of new material," - writes the newspaper "Vitsybichy".
For what? What for? When will the authorities stop burying budget money, giving the economy to the private sector? It is not reported.
Andrei Karas, "Salidarnasts"
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