Volozhin Region
Executive Committee

Prime Minister Aleksandr Turchin has signed a resolution to increase financial support for orphans, the government’s press service told BelTA.

The document was drafted to improve the conditions of state support for orphans and children without parental care. It also updates the monetary standards for food expenses for students in educational institutions.

In particular, the resolution provides for a 15% increase in state institutional funding for food for orphans, as well as a 5% increase for clothing, footwear, soft furnishings, school supplies, basic necessities, and personal hygiene items. For children in family-type care, monthly allowances for food, clothing, footwear, soft furnishings and equipment, school supplies, personal hygiene items, other basic necessities, and personal expenses will be raised by 10%. The one-time payment for the initial purchase of soft furnishings and equipment for children from birth to age three will increase by 5%, and compensation for telephone and household service expenses will go up by 22%.

The resolution also provides for a corresponding increase in the amount that obligated parents must reimburse the state for the maintenance of children under state care. 

The resolution also includes medicines and medical devices as part of state support for orphans, and boosts food allowances for students in educational institutions by 5%.

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Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko signed Decree No. 124 “On the Register of Producers of Feeds and Feed Additives” on 13 April, BelTA has learned from the press service of the head of state.

In accordance with the document, the register will be established by the Agriculture and Food Ministry.

From 1 January 2027, entities that produce feeds and/or feed additives for farm animals for the purpose of sale must be included in the register. The activities of producers not included in the register will be considered illegal.

The decree seeks to improve the feed and feed additive production sector, thereby boosting animal productivity through the provision of balanced and fully nutritious rations.

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A lantern with the Holy Fire from the Holy Sepulchre has been delivered to the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk, BelTA has learned.

The Holy Fire descended at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on 11 April as a symbol of the Resurrection of Christ and a living testament to the unbroken continuity of the Christian faith preserved through the centuries. The ceremony gathered Christian believers from different countries.

A particle of the Easter Holy Fire was brought from Jerusalem to Moscow by plane by a delegation of the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation, where it was met by representatives of the Synodal Department for Pilgrimage Development and the Transfer of Shrines of the Belarusian Exarchate. Representatives of the dioceses of the Belarusian Orthodox Church will light their lamps from it and pass a particle on to their parishioners.

“We human beings need our faith to be reinforced by special signs and phenomena. It is very important for us not only to pray but also to receive responses to our prayers through the resolution of life’s problems, the healing of the sick, and protection from troubles and dangers,” Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, previously told journalists.

The bishop noted that there are many cases where people do not even ask, yet the Lord, out of His love and foreknowledge, reveals what inspires them. One such event, deeply moving and emotionally significant for the entire Orthodox world, is the descent of the Holy Fire on Holy Saturday, the eve of Easter.

On this day, believers gather at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to offer prayers. And the Holy Fire descends to illuminate everyone, both those present in the church and those to whom it will later be delivered.

“This contact with the shrine, with the Holy Sepulchre from which the Holy Fire is brought forth, sanctifies the whole world, countries, and peoples, inspires people, and strengthens their faith. It is a sign of God’s special providential love for humanity, so that our faith may be strong, filled with joy, love, and gratitude to God,” said Metropolitan Veniamin.

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Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed cooperation within the Belarus-Russia-North Korea triangle during a telephone conversation on 12 April, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian leader.

“The presidents addressed the topic of cooperation within the Belarus-Russia-North Korea triangle. Following the official visit of the president of Belarus to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, a range of promising areas for cooperation has been identified. During today’s conversation, the possibility of implementing several projects in a trilateral format was discussed,” the press service said.

As BelTA previously reported, Aleksandr Lukashenko and Chairman of the State Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Kim Jong Un held official talks in Pyongyang on 26 March, declaring the beginning of a new stage in bilateral relations. Following the talks, a treaty on friendship and cooperation between Belarus and the DPRK was signed. The parties also concluded roughly a dozen agreements and memorandums on cooperation in specific areas.

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Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Karankevich has introduced new Information Minister Dmitry Zhuk to the ministry staff on 10 April, BelTA has learned.

Viktor Karankevich noted that Dmitry Zhuk’s extensive experience in leadership positions at major media outlets will help him effectively lead the ministry. “The head of state has clearly outlined the priority tasks ahead. I wish you strength and energy to tackle them worthily together with the staff, as well as to keep citizens informed about the country’s social and economic development, the achievements of various economic sectors, the work being done to improve people’s quality of life, and, of course, to respond swiftly to destructive information,” the deputy prime minister said.

Viktor Karankevich also thanked Marat Markov for his work as Information Minister.

“I fully understand the functions and tasks of the ministry,” said Information Minister Dmitry Zhuk. “The president set ambitious goals yesterday, and at the end he told us all: ‘There are no other options’. So we will carry out the instructions. I am confident that we will succeed; the team here is highly qualified and capable. We will get to work.”

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko appointed Dmitry Zhuk as Information Minister on 9 April. Prior to this, Dmitry Zhuk served as Director and Editor-in-Chief of the Belarus Segodnya publishing house.

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Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has signed the law “On ratification of the agreement between the Government of the Republic of Belarus and the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar on the elimination of double taxation with respect to taxes on income and on the prevention of tax avoidance and evasion”, the president’s press service told BelTA.

The international treaty provides for the avoidance of double taxation of income of tax residents of Belarus and Myanmar. The agreement will not apply to certain types of taxes, which have been identified. In Belarus, these are the corporate profit tax and the personal income tax.

The document also establishes the procedure for taxation and the exchange of information between the tax authorities of the two states.

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On 7 April, the program of the Big Tourism Week began with a flower ceremony at the Victory Monument in Minsk and will continue with a roundtable at the Belarusian State Museum of the Great Patriotic War to discus the CIS cooperation in preserving the memory about the war and educating younger generations. The main events will be the 4th Belarusian-Russian Tourism Congress, the Travel Hub Commonwealth, and the 28th International Travel Fair Holidays 2026. 

The 4th Belarusian-Russian Tourism Congress and the Travel Hub Commonwealth forum will bring together representatives from 22 regions of Russia and also Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and other CIS countries. 

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The Council of Ministers has approved the draft protocol on amending the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Belarus and the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on Cooperation in Education of 16 June 2023, as a basis for negotiations. Corresponding resolution No. 176 of the Council of Ministers of 8 April 2026 on holding negotiations on the draft international treaty and its signing" has been published on the National Legal Internet Portal, BelTA has learned.

“The Education Ministry is authorized to conduct negotiations on the draft protocol, with the permission to introduce non-substantive changes if necessary, and to sign the protocol once agreement is reached within the framework of the approved draft,” the document reads.

The resolution enters into force on the date of its adoption.

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Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko received a report from Chairperson of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Natalya Kochanova on 9 April, BelTA has learned.

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Belarus ranked among the top three CIS countries in tourism development in 2025, CIS First Deputy Secretary General Igor Petrishenko said during the ceremony to open the 4th Belarus-Russia tourism congress and the international tourism forum Travel Hub Commonwealth in Minsk on 8 April, BelTA has learned.

According to Igor Petrishenko, international tourism grew by 4% in 2025. The CIS countries demonstrated even stronger momentum: their growth rates were two-three times higher than the global average.

“The leader in growth is domestic tourism. It is a real driver of economic development,” Igor Petrishenko noted. “In 2025, Belarus ranked among the top three CIS countries in sustainable tourism development.”

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