In Minsk's Hi-Tech Park, the estate that once formed the backbone of Belarus' powerful IT industry and was dubbed the country's "Silicon Valley", there are few clients to be seen. Around a quarter of the country's IT workers relocated in waves after the country's strongman leader, Alexander Lukashenko, crushed pro-democracy protests in 2020 and then provided a staging point for Russia's assault on Kyiv. Spokespeople and entrepreneurs are defiant, however, telling AFP that domestic entrepreneurs are still quietly doing business with Belarusian emigrants, or are finding customers further east. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES