Ruins of a church in Babruysk freely given to Lukashenka's "wallet" Aliaksandr Zaitsau
The oldest building in Babruysk has been transferred to the private ownership of a company controlled by businessman Aliaksandr Zaitsau, who is close to Viktar Lukashenka. He is obliged to restore the monument within three years.
According to the official response from the Ministry of Culture, published by the Telegram channel "Spadchyna," the decision to alienate the property was made by the Babruysk City Executive Committee. The agreement for gratuitous transfer was signed on September 30, 2025. According to the document, the owner must complete repair and restoration work by September 30, 2028. In case of non-fulfillment of the conditions, the company is obliged to pay the city a penalty equal to the residual value of the property, considering the price index.
In March 2026, the Ministry of Culture issued permission to LLC "HCM Group" to carry out research and design work for the reconstruction of the object with a change in its purpose.
LLC "HCM Group" is associated with businessman Aliaksandr Zaitsau. This legal entity, among other things, controls the travel agency Explora. As the publication "Bureau" found out, in the summer of 2025, structures connected with Zaitsau were involved in the organization and information support of the large rock festival "Solstices," which took place in Pruzhany.
In addition, through other controlled companies, Zaitsau owns the Minsk boutiques "Outlet Park." Despite the fact that the businessman himself fell under personal EU and US sanctions back in 2021, his structures continue to trade original European premium brands in Belarus. As investigative journalists found out, company representatives are also looking for opportunities for wholesale supplies of sanctioned luxury goods to the Russian market.
Born Orthodox, Zaitsau converted to Catholicism a few years ago and began generously donating to the construction of churches in Belarus. In December 2022, he became the first knight of the Papal Order of Saint Gregory the Great in the country's history. According to sources, this step had a pragmatic goal: the status of an active Catholic and patron was necessary for the businessman to obtain a passport of the Order of Malta, which grants visa-free entry to dozens of countries worldwide.
The transfer of the church to Zaitsau's company was preceded by the collapse of the wall of the northern sacristy, which was recorded in spring 2025. The architectural monument has been vacant since the early 2000s. In 2011 and 2012, fires occurred in the building, after which it was left without a roof and began to actively crumble under the influence of precipitation.
The brick basilica in Baroque style was erected in 1745-1747 according to the design of Vilnius architect Tomasz Żebrowski. Initially, the complex included a collegium, library, and theater. In the first half of the 19th century, during the construction of the Babruysk fortress, Russian authorities rebuilt the church into an armory (zeughaus), destroying the towers and the figured pediment of the main facade. In Soviet times, the historic building was used as a military prison (guardhouse), which operated until the early 2000s.
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