Reviving Chernobyl’s Shadowed Lands: Lukashenko Unveils New Vision for Southeast Mogilev Renaissance

A fresh chapter is opening for the long-suffering southeast of Belarus’ Mogilev Region. Conceptual outlines for a new socio-economic development programme — tailored to the unique challenges of lands scarred by the Chernobyl disaster — were the focus of a high-level meeting chaired by President Alexander Lukashenko.

On 14 April, the President travelled to Krasnopolsky District, where flagship projects for the region are already taking shape. The programme takes full account of the territory’s tragic history: six of its seven districts were hit hard by the 1986 nuclear catastrophe. Yet hope now rests on forward-looking initiatives — chief among them a pioneering trout-farming complex that could become a model for the entire country, delivering affordable, home-grown fish to Belarusian tables.

The goal is clear and ambitious: to lift the regional economy and, with it, the quality of life for its people — finally erasing the lingering stigma of “Chernobyl lands.” Over the past decade, the state has poured vast resources into infrastructure and job creation precisely to achieve that transformation.

Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Shuleiko noted that “approaches in Mogilev Region are changing substantially today. There is real, objective progress.”

Head of the Presidential Administration Dmitry Krutoi recalled the dramatic turnaround in Braginsky District, once among the worst affected. Population there halved after the disaster, yet grain harvests in 2025 matched 1985 levels despite fewer hands on the land. “Methods and machinery have changed, of course,” he said, “but livestock farming still needs serious attention.”

The southeast encompasses seven districts, six of which — all except Khotimsky — suffered contamination. In those dark days, President Lukashenko faced tough political and economic decisions to give residents not just hope, but concrete guarantees that these soils could once again sustain life and work. Scientists were brought in; the land was rehabilitated. Today it feeds the nation with clean produce.

During the meeting, the President turned his attention to a persistent agricultural headache — waterlogged patches in fields, known locally as “vymochki,” where spring melt or heavy rains drown crops. Often the result of low farming standards, these patches quickly turn to scrub if left untended. “You fly over the region and see what used to be bread fields now overgrown with brush,” Lukashenko remarked. “That’s not normal. We must change our land-reclamation tactics.”

He ordered a renewed focus on cultural-technical measures: clearing bushes and trees, removing hummocks and stones, levelling the surface, and preparing soil for modern cultivation.

Another centrepiece of the new five-year plan is the “Paluzh” fish farm in Krasnopolsky District. Construction began in May 2024; by December 2025, the state-of-the-art complex was already operational.

“You promised to flood the country with fish,” the President reminded the project team.

“We won’t flood the whole country,” replied Dmitry Krutoi with a smile, “but we import 30,000 tonnes of red fish a year. When these facilities reach full capacity, they will cover 10% of the market by 2030. Not the most ambitious target — but a shining example of a successful project.”

Belarus currently produces more than 14,000 tonnes of fish annually. The President has inspected similar ventures across the country and set a clear task: to supply the domestic market with a wide range of high-quality Belarusian products.

“To become fully self-sufficient in fish without imports, we would need about 15 such plants,” Krutoi explained.

The “Paluzh” complex operates a full production cycle — from egg to market-ready fish — using cutting-edge technology in dozens of basins. Director Vitaly Bomikhov emphasised its dual purpose: import substitution and regional development. “It creates new jobs in the southeast of Mogilev Region and gives the area a real boost.”

Manual labour is minimal; water is drawn from artesian wells and meticulously filtered — because trout demand pristine conditions. Each Belarusian currently eats almost 9 kg of fish a year, yet only a little over one kilogram is domestic. By contrast, the national diet still includes nearly 150 kg of potatoes.

During the visit, the President sampled the local produce — fillets, gutted fish, smoked delicacies, and steaks ready for the grill. “All our own, natural and delicious,” journalists who tasted it confirmed.

Over the past decade, the state has invested heavily, offering businesses tax breaks and preferences under the “One District — One Project” initiative. New enterprises and technologies have appeared, bringing fresh employment.

Now it is time to evaluate results, learn from shortcomings, and decide the format for the years ahead. The President asked why some measures from the previous five-year plan fell short, what positive experience should be retained, and what breakthrough ideas can accelerate progress in 2026–2030.

“Resources are limited,” Lukashenko noted. “But we have learned from past mistakes, we know how to build, and domestic demand is real. We eat potatoes — but potatoes need fish, not just meat and milk.”

Funding will remain a key question. The President pledged state support — but only as repayable, targeted credit for viable projects under the personal responsibility of governors and executives. “There is no such thing as free money,” he reminded the audience. “Yet we can offer affordable, long-term credit that enterprises can repay and then recycle into new growth.”

He called for Soviet-style discipline: clear plans, strict accountability. “We must mobilise now to get through these difficult, unpredictable times. The slogan is simple: Work to live — not merely to survive.”

Mogilev Regional Governor Anatoly Isachenko presented a draft decree that updates preferential regimes and launches the new programme, with concrete targets for each district and object so that accountability is clear.

The region must move away from outdated farms to modern complexes, he said, especially as rural populations continue to decline.

Control Committee Chairman Vasily Gerasimov delivered unvarnished statistics: population down 15%, employment in the economy down 20%, the lowest wages in the region. Many farms still depend heavily on state support that sometimes exceeds their own revenue. Livestock reproduction is failing, young animals are lost, and milk yields on many modern complexes lag behind regional averages.

The President reacted sharply to cases of negligent storage of mineral fertilisers and demanded the strictest measures. “We took money from the budget, gave it to you at subsidised prices — and you squandered it. Enough jokes — find those responsible across the country and punish them.”

Tax breaks extended to businesses since 2015 produced negligible results, Finance Minister Vladislav Tatarinovich reported. Most beneficiaries were already low-wage agricultural enterprises. “The problem is not in the benefits,” he concluded. “It is in getting enterprises to work properly and pay decent salaries.”

The President instructed regional leaders to manage processes directly and stop waiting for someone else to solve their problems. The updated programme will be finalised at the regional level and submitted to him as a draft presidential decree in the coming weeks.

A new era of targeted, accountable development is beginning for the southeast of Mogilev Region — turning painful history into a foundation for genuine, sustainable prosperity.