“The authorities of the RB are considering three main scenarios to resolve the problem: raising taxes and fees, mass recruitment of migrant workers, or cutting social spending,” Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service reported.
“If the deficit becomes critical and there are not enough funds even to pay pensions, new tax initiatives will be the first step.”
The stark warning shows the scale of the crisis facing Lukashenko, often branded as Russian despot Vladimir Putin’s puppet in Europe.
Demographic changes are hammering the country, with an aging population, reducing birthrates and emigration reducing the nation’s number of skilled workers.
Large-scale immigration sped up after Lukashenko’s brutal crackdown on dissent in 2020, when tens of thousands of doctors, engineers, and other professionals fled.
It resulted in an acute shortage in technical and working professions.
Ukraine’s spooks say the regime is looking east to fill the gap. “Lukashenko is currently trying to compensate for the labor shortage by agreeing to bring in migrants from Asian countries. According to Minsk’s plans, hundreds of thousands of foreign workers are to be brought into the country,” the report said.