US bans Belarus from selling arms


The US Treasury has blacklisted the State Concern Belvneshpromservice engaged in export and weapons modernization. What is so alarming for the West in the national arms exports?

Iran, Syria and North Korea cooperate in the development of ballistic missiles that can also carry nuclear warheads. After the report of US intelligence in the early 2000s, the US Congress passed an act to impose sanctions against any firms that help the countries engaged in this development.

According to the document released the other day by the United States Treasury, the Belarusian State Concern Belvneshpromservice – manufacturer of arms and dual-use goods – is one of these companies. Representatives of the Concern were unavailable for comment.

“Most likely, it is about Iran which is a problem for the United States in the Middle East. They fear that Belarus will supply command and control defense systems for this country,” said military analyst Alyaksandr Alesin.

Gray schemes of death merchants

Belvneshpromservice was created shortly after Lukashenka came to power. He took arms sales under strict control. According to the military analyst Alyaksandr Alesin, Belarus official military exports exceed $800 million per year.

“First of all, it is electronic warfare, radars, secure communication systems, unmanned aircraft devices, automated command and control systems and opto-electronic systems,” listed Alesin.

But, with the centralization of military exports, gray schemes not only remained but also broadened the scope. In 1996, UN inspectors found Belarusian artillery guns in Iraq. In 2004, the Belarusian pilots in the Su-25 planes purchased in Belarus bombed opposition in Côte d’Ivoire. Now the UN Panel of Experts suspect that the Belarusian “Rubystar” and “Transaviaexport” airlines supply small arms to various militant groups in Libya. According to ex-deputy Syarhei Antonchyk, sometimes within the gray schemes, Belarus performs the geopolitical instructions of Russia, when the latter does not want to intervene directly.

“When he says that we are a neutral country, he’s lying. We are completely in the geopolitical context of Russia,” said Syarhei Antonchyk, deputy of the Belarus Supreme Council (1990-1995).

Belarus is a competitor to Russia in the arms race.

Another probable motivation of such transactions, according to the ex-deputy, is money laundering. As an example, the author of the famous anti-corruption report writes that intermediaries in the export of weapons from Belarus are often private firms, such as “Beltechexport”, controlled by businessman Uladzimir Peftsiyeu who is close to Lukashenka.

In general, sums up Atonchyk, gray arms exports and arms sales to illegal regimes enriches the narrow circle of the Belarusian government officials and businessmen close to them. But the country and the people, in his opinion, aqre losing much more, since regular Western sanctions against Belarusian weapons delivery deter international investors, whom Minsk now believes to be the drivers to lead the country out of economic crisis.

Stanislau Ivashkevich, Belsat

TWITTER