"Lukashenko Had To Bite The Bullet"
1- 9.06.2026, 8:11
- 4,740
The reality is quite different from what Belarusian television reports.
Dmitry Mazepin , a businessman originally from Belarus , who on June 3 met with Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk, announced that he wants to build a plant in our country to produce water-soluble fertilizers for greenhouse farming.
— The Prime Minister (of Belarus — ed.) and I have agreed to build a small plant that will produce water-soluble fertilizers. The plant will be built on the site of the Gomel Chemical Plant, and these fertilizers are special fertilizers used in greenhouses. Over the course of two years, we at Uralchem will invest in and build this facility,” Mazepin said on the Belarus 1 television channel.
During the events of 2020, Mazepin called on the Belarusian authorities to stop the senseless bloodshed and end the violence against peaceful citizens. How did it happen that Lukashenko himself is now meeting with this businessman?
And could this meeting be a signal to the Americans, to whom the president had offered to sell the Nezhinsky Mining and Processing Plant? “Filin” asked economic columnist Andrei Makhovsky about this.
— This is a major shift. It’s clear that Mazepin’s political speech in 2020 is the biggest cause for resentment. But that’s not the only issue. Mazepin has always been a competitor to “Belaruskali,” says Makhovsky.
— At the end of 2024, two of Mazepin’s old friends were detained in Minsk; they had previously been his partners at “Uralkali.” Apparently, this was done to force Mazepin to agree to the creation of a new potash cartel. At the time, potash was being sold at a loss, and Lukashenko hoped to reach an agreement with Uralkali. But nothing came of it.
Mazepin’s friends had to be released quickly. Perhaps Golovaty’s dismissal as CEO of “Belaruskali” was also related to this. In other words, Lukashenko had to back down completely.
That is why the ruler now had to swallow his pride, welcoming Mazepin and telling him how glad he was to see him. That said, I wouldn’t look for a black cat in a dark room here. I don’t see any reason right now for Lukashenko to want to create a potash cartel, because potash prices are already on the rise, and there are no problems selling it.
Here, perhaps, everything is within the scope of what has been stated.
Mazepin has long been interested in the Gomel plant. Because he is not only a co-owner of Uralkali, he also owns Uralchem. His interests lie not only in potash fertilizers. And the Belarusian side simply really needs the money.
— Do you think that a meeting between Lukashenko and Mazepin, who is a shareholder of Uralchem, could be a signal to the Americans: “While you’re thinking about buying the Nezhinsky Mining and Processing Plant, other interested players are emerging”?
— I’ve seen those theories, but that would be a strange idea, because we don’t see any desire on Mazepin’s part to buy this mine. The sale itself looks like some kind of bonus for America only on Belarusian TV.
The situation there is the opposite. If Lukashenko offered the Americans to buy the Nezhin Mining and Processing Plant, they probably said: “Okay, but what do we get in return?” Because this is a company with significant burdens. It has a mountain of debt, the obligation to supply potash to the Chinese market, plus it produces potash that isn’t suitable for the American market.
After all, there is the theoretical prospect of a lawsuit with the former owner, Gutseriev. It is not as profitable an asset as Belarusian television portrays it to be.
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