By train to Belarus: what does integration give us, except "Hazel"

The 30th anniversary of the integration of Russia and Belarus was marked, among other things, by the signing of a document on the launch of commuter trains, which will change the lives of millions of people. What else can be written to the asset? Columnist Lyubov Stepushova writes about this.

On April 2, Russia and Belarus will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Treaty on the Formation of the Community of the two countries, which laid the foundations for the creation of the Union State (formed in December 1999).

"It is vital for us to develop the relations of alliance and strategic partnership between Belarus and Russia," President Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State on February 27.

He noted that in December, the Oreshnik missile system went on combat duty in Belarus as part of the new Security Concept of the Union State signed earlier. According to Lukashenko, mutual access to markets has allowed to increase the volume of trade turnover eight times over the past years — from 6.5 billion in 1996 to almost 55 billion in 2025, and more than 60% of investments in Belarus come from Russian investors. The list of supranational bodies is consistently expanding.

"Now we have the Interstate Center of the Customs Committee, the Tax Committee, the Union Hydromet," the President of Belarus said.

He drew attention to the imminent launch of suburban transportation on the routes Vitebsk — Smolensk, Orsha — Smolensk:

"This is what we need. And then there is no need to persuade anyone to be in Union or not to be in The Union."

That is, the commuter service will connect the economies of the two countries with a strong thread, allowing one day to come to work and return home.

In this context, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that a common socio-economic, defense, migration, information, scientific, educational, cultural and humanitarian space has been formed on the territory of the Russian Federation and Belarus. According to him, in 2025, the trade turnover increased by almost 3%, and Russia's accumulated investments in the Belarusian economy amounted to over $ 4.5 billion, about 2,500 Russian companies operate.

Following the meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State, the leaders of Russia and Belarus signed seven documents defining the further development of integration. Among them: a decree on unified standardization in industry, so that parts manufactured in Minsk could easily fit the equipment assembled in Nizhny Novgorod or Chelyabinsk; a decree fixing the organization and development of cross-border commuter passenger traffic between adjacent territories of constituent entities The Russian Federation and the regions of Belarus; the directive "On mutual support and cooperation in the field of international justice", which provides for the coordination of actions of Moscow and Minsk in the international legal field.

Work continues on the formation of unified gas, oil and electricity markets. Synchronization of energy prices was discussed in order to create equal conditions for enterprises of both countries. Special attention was paid to the safety of the NPP operation and its integration into the common energy system.

Within the framework of the Union State, citizens of Russia and Belarus have a unique set of rights that actually equate them in key areas of life. Citizens of both countries can freely cross borders, get a job with automatic recognition of diplomas of education, enroll in universities on a "budget", receive free emergency medical care, and mutually consolidate work experience, which is taken into account when assigning a pension. A residence permit is issued quickly, bypassing the stage of a temporary residence permit (RVP).

Deepening integration involves, first of all, the introduction of a single currency, the synchronization of tax policy and social guarantees. In the future — the creation of a unified parliament and army. Bet on The Union has fully justified itself if you look at the experience of a common neighbor — Ukraine.

The concept of the triune Russia also presupposes Ukraine's accession to the Union. Russia has already officially included four former regions of Ukraine (DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions) in 2022. From the point of view of Russian legislation, these territories are already part of the Union State as subjects of the Russian Federation. The State Secretary of the Union State, Sergei Glazyev, in his interviews admitted the possibility of Ukraine joining the The Union in the future, subject to a radical change in the political course in Kiev.

If we want to live in peace, we must strive for this through SMO tasks.