Sanctions not forced Łukašenka change his ways – Cichanoŭskaja’s aide

November 18, BPN. Western sanctions “have not changed the behavior” of Alaksandr Łukašenka’s regime, said Ales Alachnovič, opposition leader Sviatłana Cichanoŭskaja’s aide for economic reform.

He noted that Western democracies have been imposing sanctions on Belarus slowly and without proper coordination between the countries, including Ukraine. Compliance with the sanctions is not monitored, while Belarus continues to benefit from Russia’s support, including low energy prices, he added.

“As you know, Belarus pays $128 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas,” he said. “At the same time, the price of gas on international markets is almost ten times higher.”

Belarus’ export revenues dropped significantly only in spring 2022, recovering later after the country rerouted its exports to Russia, Kazakhstan, and Arab countries, he said. The proportion of Belarus’ exports to Russia grew from 40 percent to some 65-70 percent.

For sanctions to be effective, the West should pro-actively enforce measures against Russia as “the main aggressor” and “the last and only sponsor of Łukašenka,” Alachnovič noted.