{"id":579966,"date":"2026-09-22T19:16:48","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T16:16:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reform.news\/?p=579966"},"modified":"2026-09-23T11:07:45","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T08:07:45","slug":"buro-reports-on-soundcafe-production-s-government-contracts-and-ties-to-lukashenka-administration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/buro-reports-on-soundcafe-production-s-government-contracts-and-ties-to-lukashenka-administration","title":{"rendered":"\u201cBuro\u201d Reports On Soundcafe Production\u2019s Government Contracts And Ties To Lukashenka Administration"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cBuro\u201d published<\/a> an investigation into Soundcafe Production, a major player in Belarus\u2019s live-events industry. According to the publication, the company organises national holiday celebrations and \u201cpatriotic\u201d 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\u2019s director worked in Lukashenka\u2019s administration for almost 20 years, while Soundcafe itself has close ties to the Presidential Sports Club.<\/p>\n

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<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Soundcafe is also responsible for casting and producing the Geroi (\u201cHeroes\u201d) 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<\/strong>, the wife of Dmitry Lukashenka, who performs under the stage name Anna Seluk<\/strong>. Their daughter, Darya Lukashenka<\/strong>, hosted the show\u2019s first season. The project\u2019s website belongs to Soundcafe Production.<\/p>\n

Its contact information is also listed on the website of the \u201cSports for All\u201d marathon, another Presidential Sports Club project.<\/p>\n

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<\/strong> and MakSim<\/strong> in Minsk, and supplied sound equipment for Oleg Gazmanov\u2019s<\/strong> performance at the \u201cEvenings at Mir Castle\u201d event.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Vadzim Reshatsko<\/strong> 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\u2019s father, Henadzi Reshatsko<\/strong>, was deputy head of the same administration.<\/p>\n

Reshatsko Sr. was promoted in 2004 and joined Lukashenka\u2019s administration. He first served as chief advisor and later became deputy head of the personnel department within the administration. CyberPartisans\u2019 databases show that he was employed there at least until 2024.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n

\u201c 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 \u2018no\u2019 to my father, he didn\u2019t speak to me for a long time,\u201d Vadzim Reshatsko said during an interview.<\/p>\n

His father finally came around when his son gave him tickets to a Bi-2 concert.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe saw the large stage, the technical setup and thousands of people with his own eyes. That\u2019s when he believed in me!\u201d the CEO of Soundcafe said.<\/p>\n

After receiving his father\u2019s blessing to start a business, Vadzim Reshatsko\u2019s relatives began joining him. Soundcafe appointed his brother Dzmitry Reshatsko<\/strong> as a sound engineer, and he went on to become head of several companies in the chain. Soundcafe Production also employed Natallia Reshatsko<\/strong> and Tatsiana Reshatsko<\/strong>, the wives of the two brothers.<\/p>\n

Liudmila<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cBuro\u201d established that companies within the Soundcafe chain frequently receive government funding to organise cultural and \u201cpatriotic\u201d events. Reshatsko receives many government contracts without going through the usual bidding process.<\/p>\n

For example, Soundcafe Production was selected several times as the contractor for government orders under Clause 2 of Council of Ministers Resolution No. 454.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

One reason for the government\u2019s favouritism towards Soundcafe may be that the family patriarch worked in Lukashenka\u2019s administration for at least two decades, Kavalkin said.<\/p>\n

Soundcafe\u2019s 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\u2019s instructions.<\/p>\n

According to Buro\u2019s calculations, Soundcafe Production has earned approximately 6.5 million Belarusian rubles from government contracts since 2019.<\/p>\n

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\u2019 Day ceremony in 2023.<\/p>\n

Other companies in the Soundcafe chain earned at least another 1.5 million Belarusian rubles from government contracts.<\/p>\n

Soundcafe\u2019s success in Belarus has enabled the company to expand its business and enter the Russian market.<\/p>\n

The Reshatsko family\u2019s friends, Ihar Ramanau<\/strong> and Olga Romanova<\/strong>, 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\u2019s Russian operations.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The combined net profit of these companies over the past five years amounted to approximately $6.6 million.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

In 2024, Ihar Ramanau<\/strong> received a letter of appreciation from Vladimir Putin \u201cfor his active participation in the country\u2019s public and political life, and for his significant contribution to the implementation of priority social projects\u201d.<\/p>\n

It is noteworthy that, like Vadzim Reshatsko\u2019s father, Ihar Ramanau\u2019s father also works in the civil service. Andrei Ramanau<\/strong> 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\u2019s Book of Honour.<\/p>\n

On questions from \u201cBuro\u201d, Tatsiana Reshatsko<\/strong> responded. She said that the family\u2019s connections in Lukashenka\u2019s administration had no influence on Soundcafe\u2019s operations. \u201cBuro\u201d also sent the company a written request for comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cBuro\u201d published an investigation into Soundcafe Production, a major player in Belarus\u2019s live-events industry. According to the publication, the company organises national holiday celebrations and \u201cpatriotic\u201d 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\u2019s director […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":119,"featured_media":527821,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sharing_image":{"poster":"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/6ab388d53e390.jpg","width":1200,"height":630,"template":"691142dd","mode":"auto"},"_sharing_image_fieldset":{"dTVKfmI95PYT":"\u201cBuro\u201d Reports On Soundcafe Production\u2019s Government Contracts And Ties To Lukashenka Administration"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[142338,143090,143126],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-579966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-politics","category-business"],"wps_subtitle":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/579966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/119"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=579966"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/579966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":579978,"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/579966\/revisions\/579978"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/527821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=579966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=579966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=579966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}