The author described the events accompanying the industrial rise of Belarus from 1965 to 1991, and outlined the reasons that pushed the elite of the Republic to participate in the destruction of the USSR. This book pays special attention to the costs of the 30-year imitation of fraternal friendship between Russia and the Republic of Belarus under the guise of “Union State.” The author believes that they became one of the main reasons for the protests in the Republic of Belarus in the summer of 2020. The author hopes that interest in in-depth research into the problems of low efficiency of the economies of both countries will inevitably increase in society. It is they, and not the biting critical remarks that fill the Internet, that should become the initial basis for assessing the actions of country leaders.