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How Much Does It Cost To Entertain Lukashenka?

How Much Does It Cost To Entertain Lukashenka?

The dictator's hobbies cost the Belarusians a lot.

The ruler of Belarus, Aliaksandr Lukashenka, has many hobbies. Press secretary Natallia Eismant has counted 11 sports that the dictator manages to do: alpine and cross-country skiing, football, volleyball, basketball, handball, swimming, tennis, cycling, biathlon and, of course, hockey. So who pays for all this?

"He never stayed at work after 1:00 in the afternoon. That is, he always came around 10 or so, not even at 9, met with some people who were on his schedule and left. That's when he would show up at work. And he didn't appear every day," - Aliaksandr Plaskavitski, former head of the governor's administration, tells Belsat about Lukashenka's working day.

Earlier, the dictator used to train on the ice of the Sports Palace 2-3 times a week. An hour's rent of the ground costs Br300 there. And the only cycling track in the city isn't available for rent to common people, not sportsmen. Now he started to play with his team in the new Olympic-Arena near Drazdy.

"Citizens in democratic countries have the right to control such things. Through elections, because an official spotted in corruption or excessive spending simply won't be elected for the next term," - Yury Hubarevich, chairman of the For Freedom movement, says.

"The Olympic-Arena is the base for the ruler's club. Apart from him, children-hockey players are allowed to train there. The venue can also be rented for a corporate match. It will cost from 250 to 360 rubles per hour. That is, the training of the ruler three times a week costs taxpayers $2000 per month.

"In the evening we chip in together, rent the ground and play. Well, all the people who are not poor in this country could do it. But Lukashenka does it at the expense of the budget and the taxpayers," - politician Anatol Liabedzka is outraged.

The main losses from hockey are more than 20 ice palaces. The construction of the arena in Baranavichy, for example, cost the country $27 million, and the one of Minsk-Arena - $350 million. And the losses of local budgets continue. These are very expensive objects in their maintenance. The ice palace in Baranavichy pays off only 40% itself, while Minsk Arena, which hosts the most expensive concerts, pays off only 70%.

Over 16 years, nobody has managed to find out how much the Christmas Hockey Tournament costs the country. The Arena receives the tournament for free, athletes live and eat at the expense of the city budget.

"They are to be fed, accommodated, a cultural program is to be made for them, everyone should be given a gift to get a good impression. This is tens of thousands of dollars, which go only for one tournament", - Anatol Liabedzka says.

A room for two people in the Planeta Hotel, for example, costs $50. It costs $40 thousand to accommodate 11 teams, 30 people each, for 5 days - according to the most modest calculations. Plus food, transportation, and more than that.

"When these tournaments started (a source from Aliaksandr Lukashenka's administration), former Soviet hockey stars were invited, and Miasnikovich presented them envelopes with money. I don't know how much money was there," - Anatol Liabedzka says.

Let's count the rest. Aliaksandr Lukashenka also has his own farm of 47 hectares, where he likes to mow the grass and grow watermelons. However, you and I, as individuals, can get only 2 hectares for this purpose. Only the farmers can get more than that.

"I've been told personally that he doesn't do all this. Different people do it for him, they equip all his residences, vegetable gardens and fields. Here he comes out with Depardieu, rattles a scythe, and then a tractor comes and starts mowing," - Aliaksandr Plaskavitski says.

The tractor, of which he is very proud, costs about 100,000 rubles. He also needs agitators, ploughs, potato planters and diggers, and it costs like another tractor. During the harvest, farmers pay the workers 10-20 dollars a day.

"All expenses from the state budget must be transparent and subject to control. Regardless of what they are spent on: either on approved purposes - medicine, health care or education - or on the private needs of senior officials", - Yury Hubarevich believes.

Moreover, Lukashenka often appears surrounded by beautiful girls from the diplomatic protocol service. They also help him to gather watermelons. By the way, one of them, winner of the beauty contest Maryja Vasilevich, was awarded the prize "For Spiritual Revival" last year. And this is 350 basic units, or 8700 rubles. The media have also recently learned that Lukashenka's biathlon rifle costs $4000. And how much do you spend on your hobby?

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