The sounds of grift
Authors
Soundcafe Production is a major player in Belarus’s live-events industry. The company organises national holiday celebrations and grandiose “patriotic” concerts using public funds. The government contracts are often awarded to the firm without competitive bidding, by direct order of officials. Buro discovered that the father of Soundcafe’s director worked in Lukashenko’s administration for almost 20 years. The company itself also has close ties to the Presidential Sports Club.
In this investigation, we will reveal the secrets behind Soundcafe Production’s success, explain how corruption works in the public procurement sector, and show its impact on ordinary Belarusians.
A RELIABLE PARTNER
The Presidential Sports Club, which has been headed since its founding by Dmitry Lukashenko, the middle son of Belarus’s leader, has organized the Minsk Urban Fest street sports festival. The event took place in July 2026 and enjoyed the support of the Minsk City Executive Committee. Soundcafe Production, a company that has worked with Lukashenko’s middle son’s entity for a while, organised the festival.
For example, it is responsible for casting and producing the Geroi (“Heroes”) show on the Belarus 1 TV channel. The Presidential Sports Club created this televised sports game in collaboration with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Belarusian Federation of Fire and Rescue Sports, and Belteleradiocompany. The soundtrack for Geroi was composed by Anna Lukashenko, the wife of Dmitry Lukashenko, who performs under the stage name Anna Seluk. Their daughter, Darya Lukashenko, hosted the show’s first season. The project’s website belongs to Soundcafe Production.
Its contact information is also listed on the website for the Sports for All marathon, another Presidential Sports Club project.
Additionally, Soundcafe organises concerts in Belarus, primarily featuring stars from the Russian entertainment industry. For example, the company says it assisted in concerts by Grihary Leps, Stas Mikhaylov, Klava Koka and MakSim in Minsk, and supplied sound equipment for Oleg Gazmanov’s performance at the “Evenings at Mir Castle” event.
Even in 2026, when the concert industry in Belarus was reportedly under the virtual monopoly of entities linked to Anna Seluk, Soundcafe managed to organise a performance by Mari Kraimbery in Minsk. The collaboration with Dmitry Lukashenko, Anna’s husband, likely paid off.
So who’s behind this business?
AN IN-GATHERING
Soundcafe Production is part of a group of companies that provide technical support for cultural and sporting events. This network also includes Industriya Kontserta, Soundcafe Realty, Pink Noise, Soundcafe BY and Zvukovoye Agentstvo Soundcafe (liquidated in 2018). All of these companies are managed by members of the same family and their friends.
Vadzim Reshatsko heads the business. According to CyberPartisans, he started his career in public service at the Department of Education and Youth Affairs of the Pershamaiski District Administration in Minsk. At the time, Vadzim’s father, Henadzi Reshatsko, was deputy head of the same administration.
Reshatsko Sr. was promoted in 2004 and joined Lukashenko’s administration. He first served as chief advisor, later taking the position of deputy head of the personnel department within the administration. CyberPartisans’ databases show he was employed there at least until 2024.
His son, however, chose a different path: in the early 2000s, he entered the world of show business and founded the first company in the Soundcafe chain. As a government official, his father was initially unhappy with his son’s decision.
“My dad is a man of the old stock. Until I turned 25, he thought that everything I did was just a hobby, not a profession. He wanted me to work for some leading executive committee. And when I said ‘no’ to my father, he didn’t speak to me for a long time”, Vadzim Reshatsko said during an interview.
His father finally came around when his son gave him tickets to a Bi-2 concert.
“...He saw the large stage, the technical setup and thousands of people with his own eyes. That’s when he believed in me!” said the CEO of Soundcafe.
After receiving his father’s blessing to start a business, Vadzim Reshatsko’s relatives began joining him. Soundcafe appointed his brother Dzmitry as the sound engineer, and he went on to become head of several companies in the chain. Soundcafe Productions also employed Natallia and Tatsiana, the wives of the two brothers.
Liudmila, the family matriarch, is also involved in the business. According to databases obtained by CyberPartisans, she was employed by Soundcafe BY and Industriya Kontserta. Liudmila previously worked for Minskkontsert. This government agency often purchases services from Soundcafe without holding the legally required tender. It is worth noting that Minskkontsert is not the only organisation doing this.
THE ILLUSION OF CHOICE
Buro discovered that companies within the Soundcafe chain frequently receive government funding to organise cultural and “patriotic” events. Reshatsko receives many government contracts without going through the usual bidding process.
For example, Soundcafe Production was selected several times as the contractor for government orders under Clause 2 of Council of Ministers Resolution No. 454.
“This is a significant red flag, indicating that the legal basis was tailored to fit a decision that had already been made during the procurement process, rather than the decision being based on legal grounds. The provision is structured to allow the selection of a pre-selected supplier, as it contains no selection criteria, no requirement to publish a justification, and no mechanism for challenging the decision. It is impossible to verify that the supplier was selected fairly”, Uladzimir Kavalkin, an economist and head of the Open Procurement project, explained to Buro.
One reason for the government’s favouritism towards Soundcafe may be that the family patriarch worked in Lukashenko’s administration for at least two decades.
“This is literally a textbook example of a conflict of interest, as defined by the Anti-Corruption Law. According to the law, a conflict of interest occurs when an official’s personal interests, or those of their spouse, close relatives or in-laws (including sons and their wives), may influence their official duties. This same law explicitly prohibits public officials from using their position to help relatives with business matters, and requires them to notify their superiors in writing of any conflicts of interest”, noted Uladzimir Kavalkin.
Soundcafe’s special status is confirmed by the fact that the Council of Ministers directly selected the company to fulfil at least three government contracts, acting on Lukashenko’s instructions.
Economist Uladzimir Kavalkin explained the purpose of such appointments to Buro:
“In 2025, the Council of Ministers issued a series of resolutions bearing the same title: ‘On the Conduct of Government Procurement Using the Single-Source Procurement Procedure’. Each resolution assigns a market segment to specific companies. For example, tyres must be purchased from certain manufacturers and paint and varnish products from a particular plant, all of which must be done one or two years in advance. This creates a three-tiered vertical system of designation. Lukashenko issues an order, and it is not made public. The Council of Ministers issues a resolution – which is public – but does not explain why a particular company was chosen. Customers across the country purchase from the designated supplier. This is institutionalised systemic corruption”.
The expert also commented on another curious case: Soundcafe receiving a government contract thanks to a memorandum from Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Natalia Petkevich.
“Legally, a memorandum does not constitute grounds for single-source procurement. If it is mentioned in the procedural note, then this is either a clerical error or, more likely, an accurate reflection of how the decision was made – from the top down, via official correspondence. The scheme itself suggests that the initiative and procurement terms were established at the government level. The procedure merely formalised a decision that had already been made”, noted Uladzimir Kavalkin.
According to Buro’s calculations, the firm Soundcafe Production has earned approximately 6.5 million Belarusian rubles from government contracts since 2019.
This amount includes the supply of equipment for the Independence Day celebrations in Minsk and the Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk in 2025, the maintenance of the stage for the Dazhynki Harvest Festival and the gala concert in honour of National Flag, Coat of Arms and Anthem Day in 2024, and the hosting of the national Leavers’ Day ceremony in 2023.
Other companies in the Soundcafe chain earned at least 1.5 million more rubles from government contracts. Their revenue is growing every year.
Soundcafe’s success in Belarus has enabled the company to expand its business and enter the Russian market.
CONQUERING MOSCOW
The Reshatsko family friends, Ihar Ramanau and Olga Romanova, also found a place within the Soundcafe businesses. He is the Technical Director, and she acts as the Financial Director. They also work together on the company’s Russian operations.
In Moscow, Buro identified four companies managed by Vadzim Reshatsko and Olga Romanova: Soundcafe Production, SK Pro, Soundcafe Moskva and RR Solution. The first two are registered at the same address. The third and fourth are located next door. This suggests they belong to a single network.
The combined net profit of these companies over the past five years amounted to approximately $6.6 million.
In Russia, Soundcafe does the same work as it does in Belarus, providing stage structures, sound, lighting and video equipment for concerts, festivals, sporting events and national holiday celebrations. The company’s portfolio includes the Intervision 2025 contest, the 2024 Russia Day concert, the 2023 Russian Cup football super final and the 2022 VK Fest.
In 2024, Ihar Romanov received a letter of appreciation from Vladimir Putin “for his active participation in the country’s public and political life, and for his significant contribution to the implementation of priority social projects”.
Notably, like Vadzim Reshatsko’s father, Ihar Ramanau’s father also works in the civil service. Andrei Ramanau has performed with the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Armed Forces of Belarus since the 1990s. In 2023, he was even inducted into the ensemble’s Book of Honour.
As Buro has discovered, the Reshatskos and the Ramanaus enjoy a more than comfortable life thanks to their work in the entertainment industry and their connections in Lukashenko’s administration and the armed forces.
A GLAMOROUS LIFE
With help from CyberPartisans, Buro’s journalists investigated real estate owned by Soundcafe executives and their relatives.
An apartment on Holubeva Street in Minsk, measuring 57 square meters and valued at an estimated $121,000, is registered in Vadzim Reshatsko’s name. A 59-square-metre house in the Valozhyn District is registered in his wife’s name. The father of Soundcafe’s CEO, who worked in Lukashenko’s administration, bought a 108-square-metre apartment on Peramozhtsau Avenue in the Belarusian capital. Its estimated value is $255,000. Vadzim Reshatsko’s mother owns a 199-square-metre house in the Smaliavichy District and a 62-square-metre apartment on Rusiyanava Street in Minsk. The apartments are estimated to be worth $123,000.
Olga Romanova owns a 115-square-metre apartment on Nemanskaya Street in Minsk, estimated to be worth $194,000, as well as a 293-square-metre house in Kalodzishchy. Ihar Ramanau’s father, who performs with the Armed Forces Ensemble, is the registered owner of a 76-square-metre apartment in the Minsk District.
The Reshatsko and Ramanau families, however, are not sitting idle at home. The families travel frequently and share photos from their trips on social media.
Natallia Reshatsko, the wife of Vadzim, the head of the business, posted photos from a family vacation in Sri Lanka in 2024.
Natallia Reshatsko in Sri Lanka, 2024. Source: Natallia Reshatsko’s Instagram account
In 2023, Natallia posted photos from Italy.
Natallia and Vadzim Reshatsko with their sons in Italy, 2023. Source: Natallia Reshatsko’s Instagram account
Tatsiana Reshatsko, the wife of Dzmitry, the youngest of the brothers, also shared photos from her travels. Back in January 2026, she shared snaps of herself at a spa in Hangzhou, China. It seems that Tatsiana was there to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
Tatsiana Reshatsko in China, 2026. Source: Tatsiana Reshatsko’s Instagram account
In spring 2026, Tatsiana and her daughter travelled through Italy together.
Tatsiana Reshatsko in Italy, 2026. Source: Tatsiana Reshatsko’s Instagram account
In 2025, Tatsiana stayed in the United Arab Emirates with her husband and daughter; in 2023 and 2022, they vacationed in Türkiye.
Tatsiana and Dzmitry Reshatsko with their daughter in the UAE, 2025. Source: Tatsiana Reshatsko’s Instagram account
Tatsiana Reshatsko in Türkiye, 2023. Source: Tatsiana Reshatsko’s Instagram account
Tatsiana and Dzmitry Reshatsko with their daughter in Türkiye, 2022. Source: Tatsiana Reshatsko’s Instagram account
Tatsiana posted a photo of herself and her husband in Barcelona in 2020.
Tatsiana and Dzmitry Reshatsko in Spain, 2020. Source: Tatsiana Reshatsko’s Instagram account
In 2025, 2024, and 2021, Olga Romanova shared vacation photos from the Maldives.
Olga Romanova in the Maldives, 2025. Source: Olga Romanova’s Instagram account
Olga Romanova in the Maldives, 2024. Source: Olga Romanova’s Instagram account
Olga Romanova and Ihar Ramanau in the Maldives, 2021. Source: Olga Romanova’s Instagram account
Soundcafe’s CFO took a holiday in Bali in 2024.
Olga Romanova in Bali, 2024. Source: Olga Romanova’s Instagram account
In 2023, Olga posted photos from her vacations in Türkiye, Thailand, and the UAE.
Olga Romanova in Türkiye, 2023. Source: Olga Romanova’s Instagram account
Olga Romanova in Thailand, 2023. Source: Olga Romanova’s Instagram account
Olga Romanova in the UAE, 2023. Source: Olga Romanova’s Instagram account
A Buro journalist phoned the Reshatskos and the Ramanaus, but only Tatsiana Reshatsko answered. She said that the family’s connections in the Lukashenko administration had no influence on Soundcafe’s operations. Buro also sent the company a written request for a comment. We are currently awaiting a response.
CORRUPTION BY EXAMPLE
Corruption has now become institutionalised in Belarus. Those in power are systematically converting state resources into the assets of their families and clans. They see an opportunity to line their own pockets in every sector and state project. To make sure they don’t miss out on a penny, they divide up the markets among their cronies and direct budget funds into the right pockets.
The self-proclaimed elites have ensured that there is no one left to resist – they took care of that in advance. Civic initiatives have been crushed and independent institutions destroyed. Any deviation from the “party line” leads to trouble.
Under such conditions, favoured businesses can grow at an astonishing rate. The most striking example is Anna Lukashenko-Seluk’s enterprises, which have reshaped the Belarusian entertainment industry in just a few years. In this field, success is no longer guaranteed by talent or business acumen, but by connections.
The story of Soundcafe illustrates exactly this. The Reshatsko family didn’t necessarily have to compete with rivals to succeed, because they could secure a major government contract simply because of their surname. If those in power set such a model, it would be a shame not to follow suit. This creates a vicious cycle of corruption breeding more corruption.
The entire industry suffers as a result. Rather than embracing growth and new talent, it relies on the same old “reliable partners”, which ultimately leads to stagnation. Ordinary Belarusians are forced to pay for this system twice: first through taxes to the government and then through ticket purchases for concerts and shows.