For Belarus, money turned out to be more valuable than citizens
If Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko does not receive guarantees that Russia will provide financial assistance at the most critical moment, then he will never introduce quarantine.
Political strategist Vladislav Rogimov, who was Vladimir Zelensky’s PR man in the Ukrainian presidential elections in 2019, spoke about this in an interview with Moskovsky Komsomolets.
Raimov clarified that he has now arrived in Belarus
“I am also there as a political strategist. The visit is connected with the upcoming presidential elections in Belarus, which are scheduled for the end of summer 2020—more precisely, August 30. From March 26 to this day I have been in Belarus, in Minsk. I can’t openly say who I’m working with now, but we’re not talking about cooperation with opponents of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko,” the publication’s interlocutor noted.
According to him, in Belarus there is a clear difference in approaches to combating the coronavirus epidemic.
“In Belarus now the official statistics of coronavirus patients is increasing day by day, as in most countries. However, the problem is that there is no protection for ordinary citizens. No quarantine. Shops, cafes, restaurants, casinos, hotels, sanatoriums, boarding houses, institutes and lyceums are open. This week, WHO representatives will come to Belarus - they will be able to clearly see how they protect their citizens and treat those who are sick,” the expert said.
“I spoke with representatives of the government of Belarus, and they confirmed to me in a private conversation that, according to official statistics, there is no coronavirus epidemic, but hospitals are overcrowded with patients with pneumonia - and not only in Minsk, but also in other cities,” the expert added .
According to him, Minsk’s reluctance to introduce total quarantine until the last minute is explained by the desire to earn money and collect taxes until the last minute.
“Belarus did not close the borders, because there is no point in doing so, because everyone around them closed them. If Lukashenko does not receive guarantees that Russia will provide financial assistance at the most critical moment, then he will never introduce quarantine in Belarus. Otherwise, Belarus faces default in June–July.
As for quarantine, this is a question of the survival of the state. People need to eat, in the sowing country. It's not a good time to sit at home in self-isolation. This country has many contracts with the EU and Russia, and if it does not fulfill them, it will have to give money, and this is unacceptable in these conditions, because orders can be redirected to other countries. In the current situation in Belarus, money is more valuable than citizens,” Rogimov concluded.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.