{"id":169802,"date":"2025-12-28T13:32:37","date_gmt":"2025-12-28T10:32:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169802\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"expert-minsk-unlikely-to-relax-economic-control-despite-slow-growth","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169802\/","title":{"rendered":"Expert: Minsk unlikely to relax economic control despite slow growth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\n Le\u016d Lvo\u016dski\n <\/div>\n \n
\n (Pozirk)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

December 28, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> Belarusian authorities counted on Russian and domestic demand to boost GDP in 2025, but may have resigned themselves to stalled growth, Le\u016d Lvo\u016dski of the BEROC think tank told Pozirk<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government projected a 4.1-percent GDP growth for 2025 based on two factors: Russian demand supporting Belarusian industries and domestic demand fueled by an overheated economy and rising wages, he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the Belarusian economy grew just 1.3 percent from January to November, with the full-year figure for 2025 unlikely to be higher, Lvo\u016dski said. By mid-2025, it became clear that Belarus had been overly reliant on Russian demand. Unlike Minsk, Moscow recognized its overheating economy and implemented measures to cool it, leading to a gradual decline in demand that affected Belarus. Despite strong domestic demand, the Belarusian economy has been unable to maintain growth and is now stagnating, the analyst said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although demand in Russia is falling, Minsk does not want to stop production and factories are producing more goods than are needed, the expert noted. Inventories have risen sharply, creating a potentially dangerous situation for the economy, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus also posted a significant increase in real wages this year, even after accounting for inflation, a trend Lvo\u016dski said cannot be explained by labor productivity or overall economic growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solutions include letting inflation offset wage growth or allowing GDP to fall to a sustainable level, the expert said, suggesting that Minsk appears to have chosen the safer option: pausing economic growth while waiting for the rest of the economy to catch up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government does not want to loosen its control over the economy, even though ending price controls could be beneficial, the expert said. Alaksandar Tur\u010dyn attempted to ease pricing policies after he was appointed prime minister earlier this year, but Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka publicly reprimanded him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should price controls stay in place for a few more years, a collapse would be inevitable, Lvo\u016dski warned, citing the example of the Soviet Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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