This was reported by DW.

In early March, Visa and Mastercard payment systems stopped working in Russia.

At one point, purchases on foreign sites, subscriptions to international services and payments abroad became unavailable.

But, as it turned out, the situation is not hopeless.

Belarusian banks offer to open international "plastic" to Russians in just one day.

"Banking sanctions have affected the wrong people"

Alexei is a lawyer from Russia.

He lives in Moscow and works as a managing partner in a law firm.

According to him, the banking sanctions primarily affected "the remnants of the middle class in Russia."

“As the head of a law firm, I work with a number of very serious clients.

It affected them the least, as many have residence permits in other countries or even citizenship of these countries, as well as cards of European, Chinese banks or UAE banks.

More than 20 million Russians live below the poverty line, Alexei reminds, they did not notice the suspension of Visa and Mastercard.

Those who needed to be able to use their money abroad were divided into two categories, the lawyer said: those who already had accounts in foreign banks and those who "quickly found their way around and made cards in nearby countries."

Catherine - from the second category.

She continues to work as a blogger on Instagram, despite the fact that this social network in Russia has been recognized as extremist.

Among Catherine's clients are many who live abroad and make her transfers from card to card.

The shutdown of Visa and Mastercard payment systems affected her directly: all her international cards at one point turned into plastic, cut off from the rest of the world.

For almost three months, she could not accept payment for her services from other countries, as well as pay for subscriptions to the AppStore, Google One and other services she used to use.

That is why the girl decided to make a map of the Belarusian "Priorbank".

She chose Belarus because the journey by car from Moscow to Minsk takes only seven hours, all you need to open an account is a passport.

Under what conditions do Belarusian banks offer Russians to open accounts?

In late May, Russian media began to write that Russians are actively becoming customers of Belarusian banks.

In many blogs and forums on this topic, those who have already been able to get a card, recommend choosing Belarusian banks with foreign, and preferably with European capital: they have a lower risk of falling under EU or US sanctions.

DW journalists addressed the call center of four Belarusian banks: Belgazprombank, Belarusbank, Priorbank and MTBank.

In all four citizens, not only Russia but also any other country in the world can open a card account.

The conditions for obtaining Visa or Mastercard cards are generally similar: personal presence is required at the bank branch when applying, only a passport is required, after the verification procedure the client can receive a name card on the day of application, a name card within three to seven working days.

You do not need a residence permit in Belarus, an employment contract or a residence permit to get a card - the maximum number of a local mobile operator.

Cards are usually issued for three to five years, their issue costs an average of 25-30 rubles (about 10 euros).

The conditions are quite simple, and, as explained in the call center of "Belgazprombank", recently they "often turn to citizens of the Russian Federation."

There are queues in some departments

The call center of MTBank also told about the excitement in the branches.

Probably because the bank does not require a deposit (it is required in some banks) and does not ask to indicate the Belarusian phone number to open an account.

"You can pick up the card only in person - we do not send by mail - say in the call center.

- You can get it either immediately on the spot, or wait three days: then it will be nominal.

Our cards are not subject to the restrictions imposed on cards issued in Russia: they can pay for plane tickets, subscriptions to services such as Google One, shopping on foreign sites, pay in European countries.

MTBank recommends choosing branches located outside the center of Minsk to issue a card.

According to one of the call center employees, in the afternoon of June 12, the offices near the railway station were even forced to close: they served only those who came to the bank for lunch.

How can a Russian invest in a card opened in Belarus?

Banks offer several options: either on-site at the branch, or a SWIFT transfer from a Russian account to Belarusian, if the Russian bank is not yet disconnected from the system, or you can get another Belarusian card connected to the Mir system, transfer money to it first and then to Visa or Mastercard.

Are there card tours to Belarus?

Back in March, some Russian agencies began offering special tours for Visa and Mastercard in Belarus.

Dozens of offers for trips to Uzbekistan, Armenia, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan can be found on the request "tour by map".

Finding a tour to get a card in Belarus was not easy - DW journalists found only one such ad.

"To Belarus on a Visa card and shopping" - so calls potential customers of the agency "Samaraintour".

Are Belarusian travel agencies organizing "card tours"?

According to a representative of one of the agencies, there is no demand for such a service.

“I heard from my colleagues that they were going to organize such tours, but we personally did not face it.

We do not receive such requests, ”she said.

Another representative of the tourism industry adds: “There is no special demand for sightseeing tours from Russians.

And why do they need a travel agency?

Judging by the number of cars with Russian license plates in Minsk, they come by themselves. "

Why do Belarusian banks need Russian clients?

According to Anastasia Luzgina, a senior researcher at Beroc (Kyiv), it is advantageous for Belarusian banks to attract new account holders: the customer base is expanding, foreign currency is flowing:

“Some financial institutions require a minimum balance, and a fee is charged for servicing accounts or using cards.

Belarusian banks will benefit from this.

And not only they offer such a service - the Russians can open an account in the banks of Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan, for example.

Does this increase the risk for the bank itself to fall under sanctions?

Anastasia Luzgina is sure not.

“If a Belarusian bank opens a card account for a specific individual who is not subject to sanctions, it has the right to provide such a service.

If a person is a citizen of Russia, it does not mean that he should be immediately subject to sanctions, "- she explains.

Sanctions against Belarus for supporting the Russian war in Ukraine

Alexander Lukashenko admitted that missiles were fired at Ukrainian territory from Belarus.

At the same time, Belarusian servicemen were not sent to Ukrainian territory.

In an interview with Svaboda, US Ambassador to Belarus Julie Fisher said that "Lukashenka's regime is complicit in Russia's current invasion of Ukraine because it allowed Russia to attack from Belarusian territory."

On February 26, Canada and the Council of the European Union announced sanctions against Russia and Belarus.

The list includes 20 Belarusian officials and servicemen.

15 legal entities and 8 individuals were on the US sanctions list.

On February 28, the ambassadors of the European Union imposed visa sanctions on 22 high-ranking Belarusian officials.

The Mabelaine factory in Maladzyechna has come to a standstill, as the Swedish company IKEA has closed its business in the country.

IKEA has worked closely with a number of manufacturers and factories, including government.

Among them are the state "Minsk Furniture Center" from Maladzyechna, Mogilev textile manufacturer "Mogatex", Minsk watch factory "Ray" and others.

In March the European Union banned the export of wood products produced or exported from Belarus.

The Ministry of Forestry has stated that it is forced to send products from Europe to Asia.

Due to the difficulties of doing business in the region, Booking.com and Airbnb travel accommodation services do not operate in the country.

The Danish transport and logistics company Maersk announced the cessation of cargo transportation to Belarus on March 4.

Other companies of a similar profile, DHL and FedEx, have announced their withdrawal from the Belarusian market.

On March 5, the Finnish company OLVI announced the beginning of the closure of its business in Belarus, where the company owns Lida Beer.

As long as 840 employees of the plant will be paid, the closure of the business will be gradual.

On March 6, the Republic of Korea imposed sanctions.

They introduced export control measures against Belarus, believing that it "significantly contributes to Russia's invasion of Ukraine."

On March 8, sanctions were imposed by Japan.

Assets of individuals and legal entities subject to the new restrictions are being frozen.

Supplies of dual-use goods to Belarus and exports to the Ministry of Defense of Belarus and Integral are prohibited.

The World Bank has suspended all programs in Belarus.

The bank noted that it had not approved new loans to Belarus since 2020.

The restrictions affected the sports industry.

Belarusian national teams of different ages have been barred from participating in international hockey, handball and basketball tournaments.

The Belarusian national team was not admitted to the 2022 Paralympic Games.

Against the background of sanctions, the rating agency Fitch lowered the long-term sovereign credit rating of Belarus to the CCC, which means a real possibility of default.

The American financial company American Express has suspended the provision of services in the country.

According to her cards, no business transactions are possible now.

On March 9, the European Union approved the disconnection of three Belarusian banks from SWIFT.

These are Belagroprombank, Dobrabyt Bank and the Development Bank.

On April 16, a total ban on crossing the border with Belarus by Russia and Russia will be introduced.

The decision of the European Union, published in the official journal, says that the EU in accordance with the sanctions prohibits the import and transit of goods by road from Belarus and Russia to the territory of the European Union.

Russia's war against Ukraine

  • At 5 am on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a military operation against Ukraine in the Donbas at the request of the DNR and LNR groups.

    On February 21, during a televised address to the Russians, Putin called the so-called "DPR" and "LPR" independent states within the regions.

    On February 22, the Federation Council ratified the decision.

  • All the days of the war are shelling Ukrainian cities with missiles, flying aircraft.

    Russian troops are attacking, including from the territory of Belarus, using airfields, bases and roads.

    Representatives of the Lukashenko regime justify the war, the opposition considers the territory of Belarus occupied and calls for resistance to Russian invaders.

  • On February 27, the International Legion of Territorial Defense was established in Ukraine, and foreign volunteers were encouraged to join.

    Belarusians also entered there.

    During the two and a half months of the war, six Belarusian volunteers and soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were killed at the front: Alexei "Tour" Skobla, Ilya "Litvin" Khrenov, Dmitry "Terror" Apanasovich, Dmitry "Hans" Rubashevsky, Konstantin "Phoenix" Phoenix "Dubaila" and .

  • On March 30, the UN approved the composition of an independent commission to investigate Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

    It included people who worked in the conflict in Rwanda and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

  • Contrary to Putin's claims of attacks exclusively on military facilities, the Russians are bombing schools, kindergartens and residential areas of Ukrainian cities.

    The Russians are using banned weapons, including cluster bombs against civilians.

  • The number of refugees from Ukraine exceeded 5.5 million people.

  • On April 1, Lithuania became the first EU country to completely abandon Russian gas.

    Latvia and Estonia followed suit.

    Germany has promised to completely suspend the use of Russian oil by the end of 2022.

  • On April 2, after the liberation of the city of Bucha near Kyiv, photojournalists published dozens of photos showing hundreds of the dead, victims of massacres committed by Russian troops.

    Many are buried in natural mass graves.

    The Russian occupation and Borodyanka brought great destruction.

    A number of rapes, including infants, are also known.

  • In April, the number of missile attacks on Ukraine and air strikes from Belarus decreased, and Russian troops began to leave Belarus.

  • Since the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 26 media representatives have been killed - 19 journalists and 7 other workers.

  • In May, the Ukrainians launched a counteroffensive in the Slobozhanshchina region, pushing the invaders to their borders.

  • On May 9, the President of the United States signed the Land League Act.

    This law restores the program of the Second World War, which will accelerate the supply of weapons to Ukraine and increase the amount of such assistance.

  • On the night of May 17, Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Anna Malyar confirmed the start of an operation to rescue Ukrainian servicemen trapped in the territory of "Azovstal".

    According to her, 53 seriously injured people were evacuated from there to the medical institution of occupied Novoazovsk.

    Another 211 people were taken to Alenivka along the humanitarian corridor.

    Russia's Defense Ministry says nearly 1,000 Ukrainian fighters at the plant "surrendered" as of May 18.

    The International Committee of the Red Cross has officially registered these fighters as prisoners of war.

  • Independent verification of information about hostilities provided by officials of various parties is not yet possible.