Friendship Only Until the First Bill: The kremlin Is Ruining Its belarusian Allies

On top of the sanctions that have long tied the military-industrial complexes of russia and belarus together, another problem has emerged – debt. For years, minsk profited from supplying components for russian weapons, but now even its closest allies cannot get their money.

russia’s economic crisis, exacerbated by problems in the fuel sector, is already taking a toll on the defence industry. Companies belonging to the state-owned corporation “rostec” have been the first to feel the impact. They are increasingly becoming defendants in lawsuits filed by their belarusian partners.

The most striking example is the belarusian manufacturer of military optics, “peleng”, which is in litigation with the saratov aggregate plant over several contracts. The plant manufactures the “khrizantema-s” anti-tank systems and is part of the “high-precision systems” holding company within “rostec”. The amount owed exceeds one million dollars. In effect, one of the key manufacturers of russian weapons has been unable to pay its supplier.

Similar is the situation with the belarusian company “volatavto”, which manufactures chassis for missile systems and electronic warfare systems. In June, it filed a lawsuit seeking nearly one million dollars against the “motovilikha plants” – russia’s only full-cycle artillery manufacturing enterprise.

The issue has affected more than just belarusian companies. The smolensk-based firm “avtotechinmash”, a major dealer of “belaz” equipment, has already won a court case against the ilyushin aviation complex, which is also part of the “rostec” group.

For decades, moscow has spoken of a “union state” and fraternal relations with minsk. But today, its closest ally is forced to go to court to collect millions in debts. If the russian defence-industrial complex cannot even pay its belarusian suppliers on time, this indicates serious financial problems within russia’s defence industry.