Soviet oligarchisation of Ukraine and Belarus: processes, mechanisms, perspectives

Abstract

In Eastern European countries, the issue of the oligarchisation of the political system is one of the most important factors influencing the process of systemic transformation. In Ukraine, the phenomenon of oligarchisation took on the classic post-Soviet form of influencing the political elite. In Belarus, its importance is smaller and of a different character. When analysing the dynamics of the socio-political development of both republics after 1991, the vision of Ukraine without oligarchs, or inversely – Belarus with the established oligarchic system is not so obvious. The main goal of this article is to compare and evaluate the reforms and socio-political changes in Belarus and Ukraine in the context of the role played by the oligarchisation of these countries.