Miss BRICS finalist emerges as Lukashenko’s new companion
A young woman with brown hair, Aliya Karotkaya, has been appearing more and more frequently in Aleksandr Lukashenko’s company, Buro has noticed. She caught the Belarusian leader’s attention while competing in beauty pageants. The young woman took part in several pageants, ranging from regional contests such as Miss Minsk and Miss Viva Braslav to national contests such as Miss Belarus (twice) and international contests such as Miss BRICS. This determination not only helped her career but also her family’s already prosperous business.
CONTEST FOR THE INSIDERS
The first-ever Miss BRICS beauty pageant took place in Kazan in March 2026. Russia organised it and only invited friendly countries to participate. Belarus was among them, of course. Aliya Karotkaya, a 22-year-old from Minsk, represented our country. She came third and won the Audience Choice Award.
On her Instagram, the young woman expressed her delight at the gifts she had received from the organisers, which included AirPods Max headphones worth around $550, a Dior beauty box worth between $200 and $400, a BORK hairdryer and styler worth about $600, and makeup sets from b.colour, SenSulu and Lic worth about $300 in total.
It was the National School of Beauty, an organisation funded by the Belarusian state budget, that entered Aliya Karotkaya into the competition. The school officially trains aspiring models and scouts candidates for beauty pageants. In practice, however, it selects female companions for events attended by Aleksandr Lukashenko and his inner circle. Aliya Karotkaya is no exception. She is becoming a frequent presence alongside the Belarusian leader.
A LOYAL FAN
The National Hockey League season ended in early April. Lukashenko’s team secured their 17th championship victory. From a VIP box, Aliya Karotkaya attended the final match in a jacket featuring the Miss BRICS logo.
Aliya Karotkaya at the National Hockey League Championship Game in April 2026. Source: Aliya Karotkaya’s Instagram account
The young woman came to the stadium several times during the tournament to cheer on Lukashenko. In return, he gave her some stuffed toys as a token of his gratitude.
Aliya Karotkaya with gifts from Aleksandr Lukashenko. Source: Aliya Karotkaya’s Instagram account
Aliya had been spotted around the politician before. In April 2025, she and Lukashenko planted the first trees in what would become the People’s Unity Park.
Aliya Karotkaya takes part in a tree-planting event at the future People’s Unity Park in Minsk, April 2025. Source: Aliya Karotkaya’s Instagram account
In May, she boasted about having been invited to watch the Victory Parade from the A Stand. Also seated there were Lukashenko’s alleged daughter, Krystsina Motsnaya, and her mother, Sniazhana.
View of Aliya Karotkaya in Stand A during the Victory Day parade and the invitation issued for the event, May 2025. Source: Aliya Karotkaya’s Instagram account
In July, Aliya attended an Independence Day rally at which Lukashenko was the keynote speaker.
Aliya Karotkaya backstage at an Independence Day gathering, July 2025. Source: Aliya Karotkaya’s Instagram account
Karotkaya visited the Palace of Independence in October 2025. Natallia Eismant, Lukashenko’s press secretary, led the tour.
Aliya Karotkaya visits the Palace of Independence, October 2025. Source: Aliya Karotkaya’s Instagram account
In December 2025, Aliya participated in Lukashenko’s New Year’s Ball.
Aliya Karotkaya attends Aleksandr Lukashenko’s New Year’s Ball, December 2025. Source: Aliya Karotkaya’s Instagram account
Karotkaya also attended Lukashenko’s Old Style New Year reception in January, where state awards were presented. Accompanying her was Kseniya Sankovich, the Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee and a former favourite of Lukashenko.
Aliya Karotkaya at Aleksandr Lukashenko’s Old Style New Year reception, January 2026. Source: Aliya Karotkaya’s Instagram account
It took Aliya Karotkaya a long time to gain the attention of Lukashenko and his inner circle. Miss BRICS is just one of the many pageants she has competed in.
SOCIAL MOBILITY
In an interview with Pilot FM, Aliya Karotkaya revealed that she began her studies at the National School of Beauty at age 12. Shortly after turning 18 in 2023, the young woman entered the Miss Belarus pageant. Although she didn’t win any prizes, Aliya clearly caught Lukashenko’s eye, as he recruited her into the so-called protocol service – a group of beautiful women who accompany him to official receptions.
Aliya Karotkaya wearing the uniform of the protocol service staff. Source: Aliya Karotkaya’s Instagram account
“The employment of young women [from the National Beauty School] in the protocol service is an example of the instrumentalisation of female beauty to reinforce the image of power. This is essentially the use, the exploitation of women’s beauty and appearance for Lukashenko’s political image”, gender researcher Maryna Mentusava told a journalist from Buro.
Following her success in the Miss Belarus pageant, Aliya secured several advertising contracts. She signed with the Milavitsa lingerie brand, as well as with the Belarusian division of Fonbet, the largest sports betting company in the CIS. The young woman also collaborated with Soundcafe Production, a company that organises cultural and entertainment events. Her portfolio includes joint projects with the Presidential Sports Club, headed by Dmitry Lukashenko, including the Heroes show and the Sport for All marathon.
Having gained some modelling experience, Aliya returned to beauty pageants. In winter 2025, she was crowned Second Runner-Up in the Miss Minsk competition. In summer, she won four titles in the Miss Viva Braslav competition. In autumn, she competed in the Miss Belarus competition again and placed second.
“In a normal country, the main avenue for social mobility for female students should be university education, not a beauty pageant. In Belarus, however, beauty contests are presented as one of the most important pathways to social advancement. The message is: if you are like this, you may have a highly desirable career and future. Beauty pageants are one of the key platforms for promoting specific role models. Independent career achievements – becoming an entrepreneur or a researcher, for example – do not fit the state’s agenda. What it needs above all are loyal women,” said gender researcher Iryna Sidorskaya.
Thus, 22-year-old Aliya Karotkaya has competed in an impressive five beauty pageants. Her attractive appearance has certainly given her a head start in life. In fact, it benefited both the woman’s career and her mother’s business.
THE APPLE DOESN’T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE
Aliya grew up in a wealthy family. According to CyberPartisans, the Karotki family owns two apartments in Minsk. One of these is located on Kazintsa Street and spans 65 square metres. The second is located in the Parus residential complex. Spanning 134 square metres, it is a real mansion. The apartments’ total estimated value is approximately $330,000.
In addition, Aliya posted photos on social media of her visit to the upscale restaurant Fabriq, calling it her “favourite” spot. Uladzimir Kulakou, Dmitry Lukashenko’s brother-in-law, is the co-owner of the place.
Aliya Karotkaya at Fabriq restaurant. Source: Aliya Karotkaya’s Instagram account
Additionally, Aliya took a holiday at the upscale Robinson Club resort, which Pavel Topuzidis, a businessman with close ties to Lukashenko, opened.
Aliya Karotkaya is enjoying a relaxing break at the Robinson Club Country Resort. Source: Aliya Karotkaya’s Instagram account
The entire Karotki family also regularly flew to Abu Dhabi on holiday.
For a long time, however, only the father, Andrei, worked to support the family. According to data provided by CyberPartisans, he was involved in supplying used car parts from Europe to Belarus.
Aliya’s mother, Diana, has only one recorded employment entry in her work history: in 2018, at the National School of Beauty. It is unclear what she was doing there, but it was contract work. Her daughter had already been attending that school for several years by that time. Thanks to her success, Diana was able to start her own business.
The woman launched the clothing brand Kiali in 2025. Aliya Karotkaya wore some of the brand’s dresses when she competed in the Miss Belarus pageant. The advertising campaign was a success: just a few months later, Diana Karotkaya was presenting her designs at fashion shows in Minsk. One of the models was her daughter. Later, Aliya appeared at events organised by Lukashenko wearing outfits from her mother’s clothing line. She also competed in the Miss BRICS pageant wearing Kiali clothing. This international platform could have been used to showcase Belarus’s state-owned garment industry, which it is so proud of, but the opportunity was instead given to an unknown brand.
On social media, Diana Karotkaya celebrates her daughter’s professional achievements and supports her in everything she does. She often accompanies Aliya to beauty pageants, and she has visited the Palace of Independence with the daughter.
COGS IN THE MACHINE
After her triumph at the Miss BRICS pageant, Aliya Karotkaya has no intention of resting on her laurels. Speaking to Pilot FM, she revealed her plans to compete in further beauty pageants and expressed her desire to see more of them in Belarus. The young woman says this is especially significant in the Year of the Belarusian Woman, which Aleksandr Lukashenko has declared for 2026.
In a conversation with a Buro journalist, gender researcher Iryna Sidorskaya commented on this line of reasoning:
“These girls are prey to circumstances. They simply can’t see any other way out. They see this patriarchal, authoritarian system and don’t believe they can change anything about it. They think they can only adapt to it”.
From her interview, it is clear that Aliya Karotkaya believes she is doing important work and teaching others to do the same. She has served as a judge at several student beauty pageants over the past few weeks. She was invited to be a role model for other girls.
“When young women enter university, they are unlikely to anticipate the entire system they will become part of by entering a beauty pageant. They think about advertising contracts; they think about how it might help them become television presenters in Belarus. But they do not think that it could make them Lukashenko’s concubines or contributors to his public image. In that respect, I would certainly not blame them. In this situation, they are victims of the regime. A woman who wins the Miss Belarus pageant may only learn after her victory about the special ‘privileges’ that will be granted to her. By that point, however, she may no longer be able to refuse them,” Maryna Mentusava noted.