Sugar for Separatists: The Way Belarus Does Business with "LPR" and "DPR"

Official websites of enterprises, as well businessmen and bureaucrats, do not report about it.

Haradzyeya Sugar Refinery, a part of the state food industry concern, exports sugar to Donetsk and Luhansk, Belsat informs.

Luhansk Refrigerating Plant and OOO Donprodrezerv purchase sugar produced at Haradzyeya Sugar Refinery, but the official website misses the information, companies from Donbass are not listed among partners of the Belarusian enterprise.

Journalists contacted the Deputy Director for Commercial Activities of Haradzyeya Sugar Refinery Andrei Batskel:

"First, how do I know whom I'm talking to? Second, I cannot give you such information. We do not do business with Donetsk and Luhansk. We have partners in Ukraine, Russia... " he said.

Meanwhile, a representative of OOO Donprodzerv who wanted to be unnamed confirmed the fact of cooperation with the Haradzyeya Sugar Refinery.

"Yes, we have been cooperating for a long time, supply volumes are high. I cannot specify, but they are high. Basically, it's ready-made granulated sugar, which is exported in sacks. "

Journalists called the Luhansk Refrigerating Factory, the number indicated in details on the package. A person responsible for cooperation with Belarusian partners also confirmed the cooperation, but refused to give specific figures.

Previously, the media wrote about the supply of minerals from mines of Donbass to Belarus. So, anthracite from mines located on the territory controlled by separatists goes to the Skidel and Haradzyeya Sugar Refineries. Both are members of the Belarusian State Concern for the Food Industry.

Vice-Premier Uladzimir Semashka said that Belarus and DPR-LPR do not have any trade relations in coal imports and do not conduct negotiations on this matter. However, one of officials of the Ministry of Energy of LPR Victor Tkachenko reported that such negotiations were being conducted; minerals were purchased by small private Belarusian enterprises.