Belarus has been actively using smuggling schemes to supply its timber to the European Union, particularly Poland, despite sanctions.
According to The Ukrainian Review, one of the most common schemes involves the use of forged documents stating that the wood allegedly originates from Kazakhstan. A joint investigation by journalists from Ukraine, Belarus, and Poland noted that the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and customs officials have not commented on the situation, which is not surprising.
Lukashenko’s regime is an organized criminal group, a mafia. For decades, they have been building various smuggling schemes. This is how the regime made money by trading with both Russia and the West. The EU and other countries are not able to react so quickly, to close these loopholes. They spend six months preparing a package, imposing sanctions, and during this time Lukashenko’s regime has developed new schemes, – explains Franak Viacorka, Chief Advisor to the duly elected President of Belarus, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
Experts note that not only the sanction’s policy, but also effective border control, can help stop the illegal trade that finances the Lukashenko regime. However, the problem remains systemic, as the interests of some business circles in the EU allow it to flourish.
