Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makey has died at the age of 64. Ukrainian official suspects poisoning. Lukashenko shows reaction.
Update from November 29, 4:55 p.m.: After the sudden death of Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makej, Alexander Lukashenko decided to take a step that at first glance seemed a bit paranoid. “He changes his cooks” to avoid possible poisoning. In any case, the ex-oligarch Leonid Nevzlin made this explosive claim via Twitter.
According to Nevzlin, the possible poisoning, for which there is no official confirmation so far, is a threat to Lukashenko in order to put pressure on the Belarusian ruler when Russia enters the Ukraine war.
Foreign Minister of Belarus dead: Speculations about an assassination are doing the rounds
Update from November 27, 3:25 p.m.: After the unexpected death of the Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makej, there are initial speculations as to whether it was an assassination attempt. Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to Ukraine’s Interior Minister, shared his assessment of the situation via Twitter: “There are rumors that he may have been poisoned. Makej was traded as a possible successor to Lukashenko. He was one of the few not under Russian influence.”
Unexpected death of Vladimir Makey: Russia shares condolences
Update from November 27, 9:09 am: From Russia, there are numerous expressions of condolence Death of Vladimir Makei. “We are shocked by the reports of the death of Belarus’ foreign minister,” said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. ruler Lukashenko condoled Belta Makej’s family, according to the state news agency.
According to the Washington Post The Belarusian Foreign Ministry initially left an inquiry about Makej’s death unanswered. Belarus has so far sided with the Kremlin under Vladimir Putin in the Ukraine war. The US newspaper now recalled that the neighboring country is harboring Russian troops and has facilitated “hundreds” of airstrikes against Ukraine from its soil. In September, Makej said before the UN General Assembly that the West had to take “full responsibility for the bloodshed in Ukraine” because it had made it “inevitable”.
Shortly before meeting with Lavrov: Lukashenko’s foreign minister died “suddenly”.
First report from November 26th: Minsk – Even during the Ukraine war, which has been going on since February, Belarus is considered one of Russia’s closest allies. Shortly before a meeting with Foreign Minister Lavrov, his Belarusian counterpart, Vladimir Makej, died at the age of 64.
Close confidant of Lukashenko: Belarusian Foreign Minister Makej died
The state news agency Belta reported a “sudden death” on Saturday, without giving any further details. Nothing was known in advance about any illness. According to a spokesman for his ministry, Makej, who had been foreign minister in Belarus since 2012, died unexpectedly. It is not known whether he died on Saturday or before.
Makej was considered one of the closest confidants of long-term ruler Alexander Lukashenko. Before becoming a minister, he was head of the presidential administration. At times, Makej was even traded as a possible successor to Lukashenko.
Belarus: Foreign Minister Makei died two days before meeting with Lavrov – cause of death unknown
There are already first expressions of condolence from Russia. “We are shocked by the reports of the death of the Foreign Minister of Belarus,” said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. According to the Reuters news agency, he should have met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov next Monday.
A few days before his death, he also attended a summit of the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Armenia. Also present was Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was exposed by his Armenian ally.
Earlier this year, Makei dismissed fears that Russia could send troops to Ukraine from Belarus. He declared in February that “not a single” Russian soldier would remain in Belarus after joint maneuvers with Russia on the border with Ukraine – a few weeks before the start of the Russian offensive.
Video: Lukashenko gives a bizarre interview – “Europe will tremble”
Belarus: Foreign Minister Makej dies – previously he supported Russia’s war in Ukraine
In fact, the Kremlin was able to use Belarusian territory to invade Ukraine. President Zelenskyj’s government accuses Moscow, which probably had Japan as a target before the Ukraine war, of using Belarus as a logistical military base and continuing the attack on Ukraine from there. Makej had previously tried to improve relations with Europe.
With the start of the war in Ukraine, which according to a US strategist has now reached Phase IV, his rhetoric changed. According to Reuters, he alleged earlier this year that the West itself had provoked the war. Now Ukraine would have to take a step towards Russia and agree to any peace terms. Meanwhile, Moscow has to face accusations of staging: Putin’s soldiers’ mothers are said to have been in Russia shortly before Mother’s Day in Russia.
Death of Lukashenko’s Foreign Minister: Opposition leader brands Makey as supporter of ‘tyranny’
While mourning and expressions of condolences could be heard from Moscow and above all from Lavrov’s foreign ministry, the Belarusian opposition leader does not join in the grief over the death of Lukashenko’s foreign minister. Instead, Svetlana Tichanovskaya finds drastic words on Twitter for the late Foreign Minister Makey.
“In 2020, Vladimir Makei betrayed the Belarusian people and supported tyranny,” she said. Makej has long campaigned for an improvement in his country’s relations with the West and has also criticized its ally, Russia. However, he backed away from this course after mass popular protests against the presidential election in 2020. He described the protests as a campaign by Western agents. Since then he has fallen out of favor with the opposition, and apparently his sudden death cannot change that. (dpa/afp/mef)
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