Belarus has increased exports of coal and anthracite by 980 and 340 times respectively. But this has nothing to do with the discovery of previously unknown deposits. How did the country suddenly become a major exporter of minerals, and who is interested in such supplies?
Although Belarus does not have its own coal and anthracite deposits, last year it began to actively export these minerals. Thus, according to official statistics, in 2018, Belarusian exports of coal amounted to almost 854 thousand tons, and those of anthracite to almost 590 thousand tons. The total amount of coal exports is about $ 125 million. Almost all of it goes to Poland and Ukraine.
Igor Tyshkevich from the Ukrainian Institute of the Future:
“If we talk about the sale of coal to Ukraine, the coal mined in the occupied territories came through the Russian Federation, through Turkey, and through European countries. Thus, Belarus is not the first on this list.”
According to statistics, Belarus buys coal in large quantities in Russia and Kazakhstan. At the same time, experts say that the exported coal comes from the occupied territories of Ukraine, then it gets to Russia, becomes legalized there, and later returns to Ukraine through Belarus under the guise of fossils from South Africa. It was from there that the Ukrainian authorities promised to buy coal in exchange for Donbas and supply it through Rotterdam. However, according to the Ukrainian media, not a single delivery from Holland to Ukraine has taken place.
Our journalist Ihar Ilyash said:
“Belarus in this scheme plays the role of a platform for large fraudulent schemes of Ukrainian oligarchs and businessmen connected with the DNR and the LNR. But the fact that it is present here seems to be beneficial for all parties. ”
Earlier, Belsat had reported about such schemes, when Belarus was trading with the occupied Ukrainian territories. After our investigation into the supply of Belarusian products to the DNR and LNR, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry even sent an official note to the Foreign Ministry of Belarus and threatened to impose sanctions on Belarusian enterprises involved in trading with terrorists.
Ihar Ilyash:
“Apparently, people in Minsk are sure that they do not risk anything, they are sure that even if Ukraine threatens with sanctions, it will not do anything serious.” And in the case of anthracite and coal, I think that the role of the Belarusian state here is a little smaller than in the sale of food products.”
According to experts, this coal supply scheme could have been developed through the mediation of Dmitry Avtonomov, a Donetsk businessman involved in the supply of Belarusian products to DNR and LNR. According to him, last year he visited Belarus and met with representatives of the authorities.
Igor Tyshkevich:
“In any case, these are schemes that benefit one of the financial-industrial groups. Accordingly, they in no way affect bilateral relations between states at the political level, since Ukrainian politics, on the one hand, depends on public opinion, and on the other, it essentially depends on Ukrainian oligarchs.”
Accordingly, such schemes are well known to the leadership of both Belarus and Ukraine, since they used them before. Thus, it has been repeatedly reported that Belarus acts as an intermediary for Ukraine and Russia in bilateral deliveries of the military-industrial and mechanical engineering products, petroleum products, foodstuffs, and other goods.
Zmitser Mitskevich, Belsat.
