Belarus Foreign Minister Suddenly Dead
Vladimir Makei’s funeral this morning. Photo: AP Photo.
On Saturday, Nov. 26, Belarusian state media BelTa reported that Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei has died. The diplomat held his position since 2012, and the sudden announcement of his death may reflect new changes to Belarus’s foreign policy.
The news comes just days before Makei was scheduled to meet in Minsk on Monday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in order to discuss progress and cooperation between the two countries and “coordination of actions in relation to the EU, NATO,” and other Western counterparts.
Official state media agencies have not released further information about the causes or circumstances of Makei’s death, except that leaders in Minsk are mourning the loss of their long-time associate.
Throughout his term as Foreign Minister, Makei remained a strong ally of President Alexander Lukashenko’s administration. He was generally more liberal and Western-friendly than the leader, who for years has been widely criticized as an authoritarian and accused of suppressing opposition. However, after the controversial 2020 presidential elections in which Lukashenko prevailed, Makei reinforced his support for the regime. Many leaders of the Belarusian opposition, such as the exiled Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, did not look favorably towards Makei: “Makei betrayed the Belarusian people and supported tyranny. This is how he will be remembered by Belarusians,” she tweeted Saturday.
Close ties between Lukashenko’s government and Russian President Vladimir Putin are a principal source of Western criticism, which often purports that Minsk is a Russian puppet regime. Belarus has been doing its best to stay neutral, at least officially, regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Last week, Lukashenko reaffirmed that his troops would not enter Ukraine from Belarusian territory and that Minsk would not directly involve itself in the war: “We are not getting involved, we don't kill anyone, we don't send personnel over there because there is no need for it.”
Lukashenko (left) and Putin meet in Moscow, 2015. Photo: Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters.
Although Belarus has been complicit in helping Russia invade Ukraine, it may be the case that the strategy of avoiding direct involvement, which Lukashenko and Makei shared, is no longer enough to satisfy Moscow’s requirements for an ally. Suspicions surrounding the vague circumstances of Makei’s death—who was not known to be chronically ill—have grown. Yuras Karmanau, writing for the Associated Press, reports that some allegations have been made against Russia, “which has warily watched Makei’s efforts to negotiate a rapprochement with the West.”
Various tabloids like The Sun (UK) have published rumors, largely based on chatter from Belarusian and Ukrainian Telegram channels, that Makei’s death was the result of a Russian poisoning operation, and that Lukashenko has fired various staff amid fears that he is also targeted. The rumors are unverified and largely based on chatter from Belarusian and Ukrainian Telegram channels, as well as Leonid Nevzlin, an exiled critic of Moscow, who supposedly received information from “close to the Russian special services.”
Claims about Russia’s involvement in Makei’s death are unconfirmed, and their sources are not necessarily reliable. It would not be the first time, however, that Moscow has infiltrated an ally for straying too far. The value to observers, for now, seems to be that the relationship between Belarus and Russia could become a much more complicated factor in the war over Ukraine and in the future of the region’s politics.