Profiting from the Regime

Over the course of Aleksandr Lukashenko’s thirty-year rule, a group of individuals has emerged in Belarus who are, to varying degrees, connected to the current authorities. They include men and women, such as officials, security personnel, businesspeople, and public figures. These people gain certain benefits for themselves and their loved ones through their access to Lukashenko and his inner circle. This involves direct enrichment, as well as power, influence, access to restricted resources, and immunity from accountability. It also includes advantages for relatives, business partners, and protégés.

This phenomenon has a fitting name: favouritism. This is a practice in which a person with power or influence gives advantages to another person not based on merit, qualifications, or experience, but because of personal affinity, family ties, or close relationships. Favouritism, often subtle, undermines the transparency that should be fundamental to allocating public resources. The quality of a person’s work for the benefit of society may suffer when they receive positions, resources, or privileges through connections rather than merit, qualities, or experience.

Buro is launching a database of the Belarusian regime’s favourites. In the initial phase, we are releasing profiles of 20 individuals, including members of the Lukashenko family, security officials, businesspeople, and prominent figures. We plan to continue expanding the database.

A favorite’s profile contains multiple sections. The biographical section contains the following information: last name, first name, date of birth, and education (when available). The main section provides an overview of the favourite’s business profile, their connections, assets, privileges, and restrictions.

The “Connections” section lists not only a person’s relatives, but also their friends and business partners.

In the “Current assets” section, we list assets belonging not only to the favoured individual but also to their trusted associates, including family members, managers, and other affiliated persons. “Historical assets” refers to assets that belonged to the person in question and their trusted associates.

In the “Privileges” section, we list the privileges the favourites received during Lukashenko’s rule because of their closeness to him and his inner circle. For example, we define “economic privileges” as priority access to preferential government loans and subsidies, tax and customs exemptions, government contracts, and exclusive rights to import and export goods. These privileges include participation in unique, highly profitable projects in partnership with the state; selective privatisation of enterprises; and purchasing or leasing real estate or land without a bidding process.

The “Restrictions” section lists the sanctions and criminal prosecutions the favoured individual has faced.

This database was created for journalists, diplomats, researchers, analysts, and anyone interested in how power is structured in Belarus.

The information in the “Favourites” database is current as of November 2026, the date of publication.