In 2027, Belarus plans to spend about $4.32bn on defence, law enforcement and security. That is almost 21% of the country’s total budget expenditure.
This was reported by Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service.
According to the intelligence service, defence spending is set to rise by 15% to $1.76bn. A total of $2.54bn has been allocated for the courts, law enforcement and security, which is 11.5% more than a year earlier. By comparison, overall budget expenditure will increase by only 3.6%.
The biggest funding will go to bodies responsible for internal security and control over society. In particular:
- the Ministry of Internal Affairs — about $945m, up from $856m a year earlier;
- the Prosecutor’s Office — spending will rise by 16.2%;
- the courts — by 14.7%;
- the border service — by 14.4%;
- state security agencies — by 13%;
- the penitentiary system — by about 10%.
The intelligence service also noted that actual spending by Belarusian security agencies in previous years exceeded the initial budget plans.
In 2021–2025, expenditure on law enforcement and security each year was higher than planned. In particular, in 2022 the overspend amounted to about $36m, and in 2025 — $82m.
The largest additional funding went to state security agencies. In 2022–2025, their actual spending exceeded planned levels by an average of 8.6%. For the border service, this figure was 5%, and for the Ministry of Internal Affairs — 4.5%.
According to Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, the increase in spending on the security forces indicates that funding them is a priority for the Belarusian authorities. The agency notes that these structures are used to suppress protests and persecute opponents of Alexander Lukashenko’s regime.