“Buro” Reports On Soundcafe Production’s Government Contracts And Ties To Lukashenka Administration
Reform.news Editorial Team · 22 September 2026, 19:16
https://reform.news/en/buro-reports-on-soundcafe-production-s-government-contracts-and-ties-to-lukashenka-administration/“Buro” published an investigation into Soundcafe Production, a major player in Belarus’s live-events industry. According to the publication, the company organises national holiday celebrations and “patriotic” concerts using public funds, while government contracts are often awarded to it without competitive bidding, by direct order of officials. Buro found that the father of the company’s director worked in Lukashenka’s administration for almost 20 years, while Soundcafe itself has close ties to the Presidential Sports Club.
Soundcafe Production provided technical support for state celebrations, concerts and sporting events. In particular, in July 2026, the company organised Minsk Urban Fest, a street sports festival held by the Presidential Sports Club, which has been headed since its founding by Dzmitry Lukashenka.
Soundcafe is also responsible for casting and producing the Geroi (“Heroes”) show on the Belarus 1 TV channel. The televised sports game was created by the Presidential Sports Club together with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Belarusian Federation of Fire and Rescue Sports and Belteleradiocompany. The soundtrack for Geroi was composed by Anna Lukashenka, the wife of Dmitry Lukashenka, who performs under the stage name Anna Seluk. Their daughter, Darya Lukashenka, hosted the show’s first season. The project’s website belongs to Soundcafe Production.
Its contact information is also listed on the website of the “Sports for All” marathon, another Presidential Sports Club project.
Soundcafe also organises concerts in Belarus, primarily featuring stars from the Russian entertainment industry. For example, the company says it assisted with concerts by Grihary Leps, Stas Mikhaylov, Klava Koka and MakSim in Minsk, and supplied sound equipment for Oleg Gazmanov’s performance at the “Evenings at Mir Castle” event.
Soundcafe Production is part of a group of companies providing technical support for cultural and sporting events. The network also includes Industriya Kontserta, Soundcafe Realty, Pink Noise, Soundcafe BY and Zvukovoye Agentstvo Soundcafe, which was liquidated in 2018. According to the publication, all of these companies are managed by members of the same family and their friends.
Vadzim Reshatsko heads the business. According to CyberPartisans, he started his career in public service at the Department of Education and Youth Affairs of the Pershamaiski District Administration in Minsk. At the time, Vadzim’s father, Henadzi Reshatsko, was deputy head of the same administration.
Reshatsko Sr. was promoted in 2004 and joined Lukashenka’s administration. He first served as chief advisor and later became deputy head of the personnel department within the administration. CyberPartisans’ databases show that he was employed there at least until 2024.
His son chose a different path: in the early 2000s, he entered show business and founded the first company in the Soundcafe chain. As a government official, his father was initially unhappy with his son’s decision.
“ My dad is a man of the old stock. Until I turned 25, he thought that everything I did was just a hobby, not a profession. He wanted me to work for some leading executive committee. And when I said ‘no’ to my father, he didn’t speak to me for a long time,” Vadzim Reshatsko said during an interview.
His father finally came around when his son gave him tickets to a Bi-2 concert.
“He saw the large stage, the technical setup and thousands of people with his own eyes. That’s when he believed in me!” the CEO of Soundcafe said.
After receiving his father’s blessing to start a business, Vadzim Reshatsko’s relatives began joining him. Soundcafe appointed his brother Dzmitry Reshatsko as a sound engineer, and he went on to become head of several companies in the chain. Soundcafe Production also employed Natallia Reshatsko and Tatsiana Reshatsko, the wives of the two brothers.
Liudmila, the family matriarch, is also involved in the business. According to databases obtained by CyberPartisans, she was employed by Soundcafe BY and Industriya Kontserta. Liudmila previously worked for Minskkontsert. This government agency often purchases services from Soundcafe without holding the legally required tender.
“Buro” established that companies within the Soundcafe chain frequently receive government funding to organise cultural and “patriotic” events. Reshatsko receives many government contracts without going through the usual bidding process.
For example, Soundcafe Production was selected several times as the contractor for government orders under Clause 2 of Council of Ministers Resolution No. 454.
Clause 2 of Resolution No. 454 of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus, dated July 12, 2023, allowed contracting authorities, under conditions of sanctions pressure and where rapid import substitution or uninterrupted operations were necessary, to procure certain goods, works or services from a single supplier through an expedited and simplified procedure, without standard competitive procedures such as a tender or electronic auction.
According to economist Uladzimir Kavalkin, such a procedure can allow a pre-selected supplier to be chosen because it contains no selection criteria, no requirement to publish a justification and no mechanism for challenging the decision.
One reason for the government’s favouritism towards Soundcafe may be that the family patriarch worked in Lukashenka’s administration for at least two decades, Kavalkin said.
Soundcafe’s special status is also reflected in the fact that the Council of Ministers directly selected the company to fulfil at least three government contracts, acting on Lukashenka’s instructions.
According to Buro’s calculations, Soundcafe Production has earned approximately 6.5 million Belarusian rubles from government contracts since 2019.
This amount includes the supply of equipment for the Independence Day celebrations in Minsk and the Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk in 2025, maintenance of the stage for the Dazhynki Harvest Festival and the gala concert in honour of National Flag, Coat of Arms and Anthem Day in 2024, and the hosting of the national Leavers’ Day ceremony in 2023.
Other companies in the Soundcafe chain earned at least another 1.5 million Belarusian rubles from government contracts.
Soundcafe’s success in Belarus has enabled the company to expand its business and enter the Russian market.
The Reshatsko family’s friends, Ihar Ramanau and Olga Romanova, also became involved in the Soundcafe businesses. He is the Technical Director, while she is the Financial Director. They also work together on the company’s Russian operations.
In Moscow, Buro identified four companies managed by Vadzim Reshatsko and Olga Romanova: Soundcafe Production, SK Pro, Soundcafe Moskva and RR Solution. The first two are registered at the same address, while the third and fourth are located next door. This suggests they belong to a single network.
The combined net profit of these companies over the past five years amounted to approximately $6.6 million.
In Russia, Soundcafe provides the same services as in Belarus, supplying stage structures, sound, lighting and video equipment for concerts, festivals, sporting events and national holiday celebrations. Its portfolio includes Intervision 2025, a Russia Day concert in 2024, the 2023 Russian Cup football Superfinal and VK Fest 2022.
In 2024, Ihar Ramanau received a letter of appreciation from Vladimir Putin “for his active participation in the country’s public and political life, and for his significant contribution to the implementation of priority social projects”.
It is noteworthy that, like Vadzim Reshatsko’s father, Ihar Ramanau’s father also works in the civil service. Andrei Ramanau has performed with the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Armed Forces of Belarus since the 1990s. In 2023, he was inducted into the ensemble’s Book of Honour.
On questions from “Buro”, Tatsiana Reshatsko responded. She said that the family’s connections in Lukashenka’s administration had no influence on Soundcafe’s operations. “Buro” also sent the company a written request for comment.