How Lukashenko Is Draining the Economy for Tanks and Drones

Pavel Latushka, Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, Representative of the Cabinet for the Transition of Power, Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management, Leader of the "Latushka Team and the Movement 'For Freedom'" faction within the 3rd convocation of the Coordination Council.

In our country, where potatoes are in short supply and hospitals are suffocating due to a lack of medicine, Lukashenko is spending billions on militarization and the production of military goods.

In 2024, the national defense budget soared to 3.57 billion Belarusian rubles — a 25% increase compared to 2023. This isn't just budget growth — it's Lukashenko-style militarization, where the military and security forces are prioritized over schools and hospitals. Every kopeck invested in weapons production is a kopeck not spent on healthcare, education, or infrastructure for millions of Belarusians. Over 20% of the national budget is being spent on "defense" against imaginary enemies.

One of the most expensive and shocking aspects is the state defense order. It functions like a black hole, sucking resources out of the economy and leaving other sectors impoverished. In February, at the board meeting of the State Authority for Military Industry (Goskomvoenprom), its chairman Dmitry Pantus proudly declared:

"The 2024 state defense order has been fully completed by all enterprises of the military-industrial complex!"

On the surface — enthusiasm and patriotic applause. But behind this "full completion" lie real losses for millions of Belarusians:

1. 161 R&D projects — these include research and prototypes for weapons ranging from "kamikaze drones" to the Polonez-M rocket systems. Even the most modest R&D work costs hundreds of thousands — and often millions — of dollars.What could this money have funded instead? New ultrasound machines in rural hospitals, medication for the elderly, computers for classrooms.

2. 4,000 units of military equipment — tanks, advanced air defense systems, UAVs, upgraded infantry fighting vehicles, and command centers.Cost: Each unit ranges from $100,000 (for small UAVs) to $4 million (for a tank). Altogether, this means hundreds of millions of dollars spent on weapons — not on road repairs or salaries for doctors and teachers.

3. Import substitution worth $147 million — The military-industrial complex replaced Western components with Russian and Chinese ones to circumvent U.S. and EU sanctions. But this isn’t “independence” — its deepening dependence on Moscow, which dictates what Belarus can produce.

4. Record-breaking arms exports — The defense industry exported weapons and dual-use goods to Russia — something they don’t hide — and to other countries they prefer not to name.To fulfill these excessive goals set by Lukashenko, the most advanced specialists, production facilities, state-backed loans, and preferential credits with government guarantees were allocated.

On paper, it all looks like a triumph. But behind the scenes — it’s a disaster.

Every new weapon, every drone, is a stolen opportunity for civil sectors — healthcare, education, infrastructure. These are not just economic decisions; they are moral failures.

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