Lukashenka again attacked intermediaries. This struggle will soon be 20 years old

Alexander Lukashenka. Photo: Sergey Bulkin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

The meeting discussed the situation where the cost of a product at the factory differs significantly from its price in a store. According to Lukashenka, several intermediaries can appear in the sales chain, each adding their markup – about 25-30%. As a result, the price can increase several times.

As an example, he cited a driveshaft that cost 140 rubles at the factory. After passing through several intermediaries, its price for the buyer increased by approximately six and a half times.

Lukashenka noted that intermediaries are not always a problem, as in some cases they are indeed necessary. However, according to him, there are schemes where there are too many of them, and even foreign companies are included in the chain to circumvent restrictions on trade markups.

"As a result, all markups that settle in the pockets of such dealers have to be paid by ordinary consumers. This is outrageous, and there are more than enough examples," Lukashenka stated.

The police also provided their data: in 2025, more than 400 crimes related to procurement were uncovered, and more than half of them were bribery.

According to the authorities, in 2023-2025, the National Center for Electronic Services and the company "Belarusian Cloud Technologies" paid more than 10 million rubles to intermediaries in the form of markups.

Among the measures proposed at the meeting are changes in procurement legislation, the creation of a register of unscrupulous intermediaries, and the development of financial mechanisms that will allow enterprises to sell goods even to buyers with overdue debts.

Lukashenka's main measure, however, is universal:

"As soon as we see intermediaries for Belarusian products, don't even bother to investigate. As soon as you see that we have intermediaries for Belarusian-made sweets, chocolate, clothes, milk, meat, equipment – immediately to the pre-trial detention center," he ordered Prosecutor General Dmitry Gara.

During this same meeting, it became known that the Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, Sergei Maslyak, had already been sent to a pre-trial detention center.

Lukashenka has dreamed of eliminating intermediaries from the Belarusian economy for many years. In his opinion, this would solve many problems. Almost 17 years ago, on July 28, 2009, even a resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 991 "On certain issues of purchasing goods in the Republic of Belarus" was issued, according to which, from July 31, 2009, wholesale resale of goods was effectively banned in the country, and legal entities were only allowed to purchase goods from manufacturers or their official representatives. But this resolution had to be canceled a few days later, as it almost led to a collapse of all trade.

Since then, no such revolutionary steps have been taken, but Lukashenka's dream of getting rid of intermediaries has not disappeared, and he periodically returns to this topic publicly. Thus, in 2021, at the All-Belarusian People's Assembly, he demanded "to eradicate intermediaries completely," putting in their place those who "fatten on peasants."

Almost two years ago, in April 2024, at a meeting on the state and tasks of industrial development, Lukashenka called the situation with intermediation a catastrophe and stated that he intended to hold a meeting on its elimination.

"We need to schedule a meeting with me – let the government report to me on the elimination of intermediation. I have already said this ten times: to make decisions together with the governors. This is a catastrophe," he said.

It seems that the time for such a meeting has only just arrived. Meanwhile, during this time, investigations emerged detailing how much money people associated with Lukashenka's own sons earn from intermediation in the sale of BelAZ vehicles.

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