Dossier Center (dossier – in the center), as well as eleven media outlets from Europe and the United States, have in their possession a document on the Kremlin’s strategy for integration Belarus V Russia until 2030.

The document is entitled “Strategic goals of the Russian Federation in the Belarusian direction.” According to the site, this plan was developed by the administration of the President of Russia together with the special services of the FSB and SVR and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The plans for Belarus were drawn up in 2021, and after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, they did not change in the long term.

According to this strategy, by 2030 it is supposed to complete the reform of the Constitution of Belarus, taking into account Russian interests, to achieve the supremacy of the Russian language over the Belarusian language, and to introduce a simplified procedure for issuing Russian passports to Belarusians.

Among other things, the Kremlin wants to control the information space of Belarus, open examination centers for students, as well as scientific and cultural centers in the country. It is assumed that all these will be branches of the Rossotrudnichestvo organization, in which Russian agents often work undercover, Dossier writes.

By the end of 2022, the administration of the President of Russia must convince the leadership of Belarus of the need to work on the creation of the Union State, which has been formally created since 2000.

In November 2022, within the framework of the so-called Decree on the Union State Integration, 28 trade and economic integration programs of the two countries were approved. The programs concern the energy and financial markets, the synchronization of tax and customs policies. Then the general military doctrine was approved.

At the stage of coordinating these programs, Lukashenka assured that economic integration with Russia does not threaten the sovereignty of Belarus. Then Putin specifically stated that after the creation of an economic base, political rapprochement between the two countries could begin. In addition to goals, the draft strategy also mentions threats to Russia’s plans in Belarus, Dossier writes. The Kremlin expressed concerns about Belarus’ rapprochement with NATO member countries, the influence of nationalist and pro-Western politicians on Lukashenka, and the refusal to teach the Russian language in Belarus. He also considered the use of American and European vaccines against Russian ones against Covid-19 in Belarus to be a threat.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine changed plans. “The long-term goal of achieving complete control over Belarus remains in place,” said a media source who obtained the document for the Kremlin’s internal use. Among other things, all the experts who were asked about the content of the document agreed that Lukashenka lost all remnants of independence because of his help in Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The document fell into the hands of journalists from the following media outlets: Delfi (Estonia), Dossier Center, Kyiv Independent (Ukraine), Belarusian Investigation Center (Belarus), Yahoo News (USA), Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany), Westdeutscher Rundfunk (Germany), Norddeutscher Rundfunk (Germany), Expressen (Sweden), Frontstory (Poland) and VSquare (Visegrad Group).