CIS secret services: Economic crisis may turn into social crisis

Secret services of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) member countries don’t exclude mass protest actions caused by the economic crisis are possible.

Militia General Colonel Andrei Novikov, head of the CIS Anti-Terroristic Centre, said about this at a conference of the heads of national anti-terroristic centres, RIA Novosti reports.

“The national currencies have been devalued, industry enterprises have shut down, unemployment has increased, there are serious grounds for growth of criminality in all states. In this connection we can say that the economic crisis will turn into a social crisis,” Novikov said.

As the Charter’97 press center has already reported, Heorhy Hryts, head of the System Analyze and Strategic Researches of the National Academy of Sciences, said that “social tension in Belarus was growing”.

“The situation is very serious. Social tension is growing, and irreversible consequences are possible,” H. Hryts thinks.

According to him, the Belarusian government doesn’t have a clear strategy of finding a way out of the crisis situation.

It should be reminded that many Belarusian enterprises are on the verge of a shutdown: plants and factories work short weeks, wages are being decreased, bonuses and extra pays are being cut, mass lay-off of workers begins.

Flagship of the Belarusian automobile industry Minsk Automobile Plant works three days a week. The Minsk Bearing Plant and the Minsk Plant of Heavy Trucks work three day a week. The Minsk Motorbike and Bicycle Plant hasn’t been working since December. The Minsk Tractor Plant has decreased production volume. The Motor Plant has considerably decreased wages. Information about serious economic problems on enterprises in regions appears every day.