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Fact check: Petrovsky Falsely Claims ‘Purchasing Power of Average Salaries in Belarus is Higher than in Poland’
In January 2024, the average wage in Poland was about 5,600 zlotys (after taxes), — nearly $1,400.
Aleksandr Lukashenko publicly spoke about how to conduct information and psychological operations against enemies. Political scientist Piotr Petrovsky, using example of gasoline cost, explained to the Belarusian people what he, in particular, meant. The Weekly Top Fake team figured out what was wrong.
On April 8, 2024, Belarusian pro-government political scientist Piotr Petrovsky said on Radio Minsk, that the 'information and psychological operations against enemies' that Lukashenko spoke about are aimed at changing people’s worldviews. For example, Poles are surprised by the low prices at Belarusian gas stations, according to him.
“They are told what our salary level is in dollar terms. But they don’t talk about the so-called purchasing power, the consumer basket. How much can you get for this salary in Poland and how much here? Plus access, most importantly, to social services, which is not taken into account by Western agencies at all,” the political scientist explained the propaganda narrative.
Actually, in January 2024, the average wage in Poland was about 5,600 zlotys (after taxes), — nearly $1,400. At that time, the AI-95 gasoline price was 6.3 zlotys.
Thus, the average salary in Poland allows one to purchase approximately 888 liters of gasoline.
Then, in January 2024, in Belarus, the average salary after taxes was BYN1,713, or about $540. And AI-95 gasoline price was BYN2.36. So, the average salary is equivalent to 726 gasoline liters. Thus, by the beginning of 2024, a Pole citizen could buy 160 liters more gasoline with his average salary than a Belarusian.
