OREANDA-NEWS. Valery Belsky, a former deputy head of the presidential administration and now aide to the incumbent head of state Alexander Lukashenko, claimed that the total losses of Belarus from the protest actions will amount to billions of US dollars.

“Losses from protest actions are not the 500 thousand Belarusian roubles that were spent on restoring flower beds and lawns. The current damage has already amounted to at least 500 million dollars. The delayed damage is estimated at billions,” the politician wrote in an article published on the website of the state news agency BelTA.

According to Lukashenko’s aide, the main threat is strikes at industrial enterprises that provide Belarus with income from exporting products abroad. “The stoppage of exporters’ production is a disproportionate blow to current and future income. […] This is a signal to buyers about the fact that contracts may be disrupted and it is better to look for a more reliable supplier. […] The foundations of the foreign lending system created over the years have been damaged, investment attractiveness of the country suffered from it,” Belsky explained.