The EESC presents the latest analytical overview – Belarusian trends in 2022 Q2. 

Highlights:

• It is estimated that the Belarusian economy could lose between €16-18 billion annually as a result of the sanctions. The country’s GDP is expected to fall by USD 1.2 billion in 2014 and by 4.1% in 2022.
• To reduce the impact of the sanctions, Belarus intends to pursue an active economic stimulus policy by fixing the prices of some goods and services and reducing administrative liability for domestic companies for violations.
• The provocative and pro-Russian actions and statements of the Belarusian leadership towards Ukraine continue. The Southern Operational Military District has been established in Belarus, and Belarusian Special Operations Forces have been deployed near the Ukrainian border area to keep Ukraine’s attention.
• As the war changed, Belarus began to emphasise the importance of “precise, effective diplomacy” to change the negative Western attitude.
• Activists speaking out against Russia’s war in Ukraine and Belarus’ stance in the face of it are increasingly being persecuted in Belarus. More than 1500 Belarusians were detained for anti-war protests in May.

Authors:

Anton Achremov is a graduate of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science at Vilnius University and joined the EESC team in 2022. Anton contributes to the development of analytical and informative content, focusing on Russia, Belarus, and the Eastern Partnership countries. 

Andrius Prochorenko – Senior Operations Manager at EESC, Master’s degree from the Institute of International Relations and Political Science, Vilnius University. He is responsible for the implementation of EESC’s international projects on hybrid threats, information warfare and the development of Eastern Partnership countries. He also contributes to the organisation of high-level political events and conferences, and other national and international projects, and is co-author of EESC studies.