Two independent countries”: Economist evaluates Lukashenko's idea of supplies from Belarus Alexander Lukashenko advocated reviving the practice where the republic was responsible for supplying certain goods to specific regions of Russia. Among the preferred regions, he listed St. Petersburg, the Leningrad and Kaliningrad regions, as well as the Moscow region. Belarusian factories, he said, are ready to expand the supply of food, mechanical engineering products and elevator repair equipment. However, it will not be possible to completely restore the Soviet supply system under modern conditions, says Nikolai Mazevich, Doctor of Economics, Professor at St. Petersburg University, President of the Association for Baltic Studies. "This is a program that works in a federal state. And we have two independent countries," the expert explained. According to Mezhevich, during the Soviet period, the distribution of products between regions was part of a single economic system. The factories operated within the framework of national plans, and the supply was determined taking into account the needs of individual areas. Today the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus are independent countries, so it is impossible to transfer the previous model to the current economic conditions without changes. At the same time, Belarusian manufacturers already have a strong position in the Russian market. Their products are in demand, and the cooperation is supported by various benefits and preferences. The expansion of supplies to specific regions may become an additional incentive for the development of bilateral trade. At the same time, Mezhevich notes, the trade between Russia and Belarus maintains the characteristic features of the interaction between the two countries. This applies to payment procedures as well as individual control requirements. Therefore, even with close economic ties, countries cannot fully reproduce the mechanism that operated within a single Soviet state.