Implementation of the project of economic integration of Russia and the Republic of Belarus in the perception of Russian business

The paper analyses the longest-running regional integration project on the post-Soviet space — the Union State of Russia and Belarus. The results of the integration process indicate that Russian-Belarusian economic integration has a reverse nature. One of the priorities of the integration interaction between Russia and Belarus has been the formation and coordination of “roadmaps” (“Union Programmes”) in order to activate the draft “Action Program of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus” to implement the provisions on the establishment of the Union State. The article records the attitude of Russian enterprises to the main measures included in the roadmaps, as well as the general perception of the process of economic integration of Russia and Belarus by the enterprises of the Sverdlovsk Oblast. The article is structured as follows: first, it analyzes the process of economic integration of Russia and Belarus within the framework of the Union State. Second, it provides the description of the research design and characteristics of the sample. And finally, it answers the question whether the perception of Russian regional business has any effects on the economic integration within the framework of the Union State. The research method is a semi-structured focused interview with representatives of the Sverdlovsk Region's enterprises operating in Belarus. The sample included 45 enterprises, with 23 enterprises taking part in the research. According to the respondents, the process of economic integration within the Union State, officially initiated by the governments of Russia and Belarus, does not help to remove barriers to the interaction of Russian and Belarusian companies.

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