Russia’s steady absorption and stealthy annexation of Belarus continues apace.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and his Belarusian counterpart Roman Golovchenko are busy negotiating roadmaps to “deepen the integration” of the two countries’ gas markets and tax systems. Belarus is also seeking to build special terminals in Russian ports to facilitate the export of potash and refined petroleum products.
Kremlin-connected oligarchs and companies, meanwhile, are seeking to snap up the crown jewels of the Belarusian economy. Russian potash giant Uralkali is reportedly intensifying its long-term campaign to acquire Belarusian potash producer Belaruskali. The Russian chemical producer Uralkhem is said to have its eye on the chemical and fertilizer factory Hrodna Azot.
And as economic integration accelerates, Russia is also expanding its military footprint in Belarus, using a constant stream of exercises to establish a de facto troop presence. Meanwhile, Minsk and Moscow have agreed to establish a “joint training facility” in Belarus’s Hrodna region, near the Polish border.