Aliaksandr Shakutsin

File:Udarnik factory (Minsk).jpg

Shakutsin graduated from the Belarusian State Medical University. He was a Soviet Komsomol activist, working in the central committee of LKSMB, the local Komsomol branch in the Belarusian SSR. In the early 1990s he headed the medical unit of Minsk Tractor Works (MTZ).{{Cite web |url=https://news.tut.by/economics/523543.html |title="Белорусские олигархи": призраки, рудименты или будущее? |access-date=2021-04-03 |archive-date=2020-10-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023203358/https://news.tut.by/economics/523543.html |url-status=dead }}

In 1990s he created a trade company Prommedinvest with MTZ top manager Igor Subbotin and fellow Komsomol activist Yaroslav Buyalski. Prommedinvest supplied hospitals with medical equipment, but later the company expanded to other sectors of economy. In 2001—2002 Prommedinvest and a Nepali businessman Upendra Mahato bought the controlling stake in Amkodor (Амкодор) holding company, which was formed around Udarnik (Ударник) factory in Minsk. In the early 2010s Alexander Lukashenko sold several factories to Amkodor at a low price.{{cite web|url=https://nn.by/?c=ar&i=71332|title=Сакрэты поспеху: Аляксандр Шакуцін — самы багаты сенатар Беларусі|work=Nasha Niva|date=2012-04-07|language=be}}

Shakutsin was one of the few businessmen who gained access to the export of petroleum production with his associate Mikalai Varabei via their Interservis (Интерсервис) company.{{cite web|url=https://belmarket.by/news/2020/09/24/news-43658.html|title=Ближний круг Лукашенко. Кто в него входил и что им за это было|work=Belorusy i rynok|language=ru}} Shakutsin's Spamash (Спамаш) owned 51% of Eksimoil (Эксимойл), which is also active in the export of petroleum products.{{Cite web|url=https://www.naviny.media/article/20181011/1539260124-moskva-zakryla-minsku-serye-shemy-po-nefteproduktam-kto-na-nih|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125235356/https://naviny.media/article/20181011/1539260124-moskva-zakryla-minsku-serye-shemy-po-nefteproduktam-kto-na-nih|url-status=usurped|archive-date=January 25, 2021|title=Москва закрыла Минску серые схемы по нефтепродуктам. Кто на них зарабатывал|work={{ill|Naviny.by|ru}}|author=Александр Ярошевич|date=2018-10-11|language=ru}} Another petroleum products wholesaler Yury Chyzh was supposed to be a rival of Shakutsin among oligarchs close to Lukashenko.[https://zautra.by/news/news-29051 Три противостояния внутри ближайшего окружения Лукашенко]

In 2016, Shakutsin and Mikalai Varabei started to construct a major business and hotel complex in Minsk. Construction was carried out for Chinese credit (US$120 million) by Chinese CITIC. Shakutsin claimed that the loan terms were agreed to by Alexander Lukashenko and Xi Jinping personally.{{cite web|url=https://realt.onliner.by/2016/07/20/kapsula-5|title=Началась великая стройка. В Лебяжьем заложили капсулу под будущим комплексом стоимостью $120 миллионов|work=Onliner.by|author=Лора Нагапетян|date=2016-07-20|language=ru}}[https://www.kp.ru/daily/26971/4027379/ ТОП-7 крупнейших китайских проектов в Беларуси]

On 17 December 2020, the Council of the European Union imposed sanctions on both Varabei and Shakutsin (EU Regulation No 2020/2129). According to the regulation, Shakutsin was recognized as a person "who benefited most from the privatisation during Lukashenko’s tenure as President", "benefiting from and supporting the Lukashenka regime".{{cite web|url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2020/2129/oj|title=EUR-Lex - 32020R2129 - EN|publisher=EUR-Lex | date=2020-12-17|accessdate=2020-12-23}} Shakutsin claimed that the sanctions were imposed by mistake.{{cite web|url=https://news.tut.by/economics/713137.html|title=Шакутин — о санкциях, встречах с Лукашенко и ситуации в Беларуси|work=Tut.By|language=ru}}{{cite web|url=https://charter97.org/en/news/2020/12/29/405683/|title=Businessman Shakutsin Complains to Journalists about EU sanctions|work=Charter 97}} Shakutsin was also sanctioned by the United Kingdom{{Cite web|language=en|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/996772/Belarus.pdf|title=Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets in the UK|publisher=Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation HM Treasury|date=2021-06-25}} and Switzerland.{{Cite web|date=2021-07-07|editor-last=Liffey|editor-first=Kevin|title=Swiss widen sanctions list against Belarus|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/swiss-widen-sanctions-list-against-belarus-2021-07-07/|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210707215407/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/swiss-widen-sanctions-list-against-belarus-2021-07-07/|archivedate=2021-07-07|accessdate=2021-07-10|author=Michael Shields, Kevin Liffey|publisher=Reuters|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2021-07-07|title=Sanctions program: Belarus: Verordnung vom 11. Dezember 2020 über Massnahmen gegenüber Belarus (SR 946.231.116.9), Anhang 1 Origin: EU Sanctions: Art. 2 Abs. 1 (Finanzsanktionen) und Art. 3 Abs. 1 (Ein- und Durchreiseverbot)|url=https://www.seco.admin.ch/dam/seco/de/dokumente/Aussenwirtschaft/Wirtschaftsbeziehungen/Exportkontrollen/Sanktionen/Verordnungen/Belarus/belarus_2021-07-07.pdf.download.pdf/Belarus_2021-07-07.pdf|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210707175409/https://www.seco.admin.ch/dam/seco/de/dokumente/Aussenwirtschaft/Wirtschaftsbeziehungen/Exportkontrollen/Sanktionen/Verordnungen/Belarus/belarus_2021-07-07.pdf.download.pdf/Belarus_2021-07-07.pdf|archivedate=2021-07-07|accessdate=2021-07-10|publisher=State Secretariat for Economic Affairs}}

Logex (Логекс) company, owned by Shakutsin and his son Aliaksandr, was reported to be a major re-exporter of European and South American flowers to Russia, having indirect tax breaks in Belarus.[https://afn.by/news/i/282791 Близкие к властям Беларуси фирмы подмяли под себя цветочный рынок России - расследование] On 21 June 2021, Logex was also sanctioned by the EU.[https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=OJ:L:2021:219I:FULL&from=EN Official Journal of the European Union]

In 2022, Shakustin and Amkodor were blacklisted by Canada{{Cite web|url=https://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2022/2022-04-27/html/sor-dors75-eng.html|title=Regulations Amending the Special Economic Measures (Belarus) Regulations: SOR/2022-75|work=Canada Gazette|date=2022-04-27|access-date=2023-04-12}}{{Cite web|url=https://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2022/2022-03-30/html/sor-dors49-eng.html|title=Regulations Amending the Special Economic Measures (Belarus) Regulations: SOR/2022-49|work=Canada Gazette|date=2022-03-30|access-date=2023-04-12}} and Ukraine.{{cite web|title=Shakutin Alexander Vasilievich|url=https://sanctions.nazk.gov.ua/en/sanction-person/4009/|work=National Agency for Prevention of Corruption}}{{cite web|title=Amkodor Holding Managing Company ОJSC|url=https://sanctions.nazk.gov.ua/en/sanction-company/444/|work=National Agency for Prevention of Corruption}}

On December 5, 2023, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has added Shakutsin to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.{{cite web|url=https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1949 |title=Treasury Targets Belarusian Revenue Generators for Lukashenka, Human Rights Abuses, and Cogs in Russia's War Machine |publisher=United States Department of the Treasury|date=December 5, 2023}}

It was reported that in 2020 Shakutsin started to transfer some of his assets to his son.[https://www.voiceofbelarus.com/businesses-reacted-to-the-eu-sanctions/ Re-registering assets, writing complaints, and making more money]

According to a 2023 joint investigation by the Belarusian Investigative Center and Lithuania’s Siena, a company controlled by Shakutsin and his business partners functions in Germany despite the European sanctions against Shakutsin{{Cite web|url=https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/1888445/belarusian-oligarch-uses-lithuanian-firm-to-dodge-sanctions-in-germany-media|title=Belarusian oligarch uses Lithuanian firm to dodge sanctions in Germany – media|date=2023-02-13|access-date=2023-04-12|work=Lithuanian National Radio and Television}} In the autumn of 2023, the Belarusian Investigative Center released two new investigations on the alleged circumvention of Western sanctions by Shakutin’s companies.{{cite web|url=https://belsat.eu/ru/news/13-09-2023-vladelets-amkodora-zarabatyvaet-na-obhode-sanktsij-pod-vidom-importozameshheniya|title=Владелец «Амкодора» зарабатывает на обходе санкций под видом импортозамещения|work=Belsat TV|language=ru}}{{cite web|url=https://www.occrp.org/ru/daily/18143-2023-10-19-15-34-51|title=БРЦ: Немецкая компания беларусского подсанкционного бизнесмена поставляет сельхозтехнику в Беларусь и Россию|work=Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project|date=2023-10-19|language=ru}}

In June 2023, the European Court of Justice dismissed Shakutsin's request to lift the European Union sanctions against him.{{cite web|author=Дарья Бернштейн|title=Как белорусский бизнес добивается отмены санкций ЕС|url=https://www.dw.com/ru/kak-belorusskie-biznesmeny-i-propagandisty-dobivautsa-otmeny-sankcij-es/a-65847424|work=Deutsche Welle|date=2023-06-07|language=ru}}

In 2013, Shakutsin's companies financially supported his protege Alyona Lanskaya in the Eurovision 2013 song contest.

Shakutsin is an honorary consul of Bangladesh in Belarus.{{cite web|url=https://euroradio.fm/ru/zachem-verhushka-belorusskogo-biznesa-idyot-v-pochyotnye-konsuly|title=Зачем верхушка белорусского бизнеса идёт в "почётные консулы"|work=European Radio for Belarus|date=12 January 2021 |language=ru}}

Shakutsin was a member of the Council of the Republic, being indirectly elected in 2008 and in 2012.[https://ej.by/rating/business2013/shakutin.html Александр Шакутин]

{{Reflist|3}}

• {{cite web|url=https://nashaniva.by/?c=ar&i=112825|title=Феномен Шакуціна: як вясковы хлопец стаў адным з найбагацейшых бізнэсмэнаў|work=Nasha Niva|date=20 July 2013 |language=be}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shakutsin, Aliaksandr}}

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century Belarusian businesspeople

Category:Belarusian businesspeople

Category:Belarusian politicians

Category:1959 births

Category:Honorary consuls

Category:Belarusian individuals subject to U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions

Category:Belarusian State Medical University alumni

Category:Members of the Council of the Republic of Belarus