KGB sweeping is not to influence relations with Russia :: Charter'97 :: News

The staff rotation at the KGB of Belarus is primarily only the staff exchange which does not mean any cardinal changing of the system. Definitely the staff changes are very serious and as Lukashenka’s personal guard has been appointed to the KGB, it is reasonable to dwell on strengthening of Alyaksanr Lukashenka’s personal control over the power enforcement bodies, associate professor of the department of political theory of the Moscow State Institute for International Affairs (MGIMO) Kiril Koktish considers.

However, in his interview with the Polit.ru he mentioned another reason for such like staff rotation: a hard conflict between the KGB an MVD (ministry for internal affair) heads, Styapan Sukharenka and Uladzimir Navumau, correspondingly, which has been underway for the last two months.

According to the expert, the story about exposure of the Polish spies whose case was submitted to the court right before Sukharenka’s dismissal was presented as politically actual event and it was followed by the next day’s dismissal. It may also mean that the case was concocted. This option should not be excluded, Koktish is sure taking into account that the KGB has already made sound declarations about the “terrorists” unmasking, but the collected proofs were insufficient.

The expert also stressed that the KGB rotations mean only authorities’ confrontations but they do not mean any cardinal changing of the system. The thing is that the inter-elite splits have reached the upper level and it is also a certain situational marker. That is why it does not really mean Lukashenka’s personal position reinforcement as the KGB has always been under his personal control.

As far as the relations with Russia are concerned, the expert stresses that they are not to be influenced the above-mentioned changes in the Belarusian system: the dialogue between the countries has already been maximally hampered by systemic, not staff problems. The cardinal changes are not foreseen at the present moment.

It is to be mentioned that the day before yesterday Lukashenka made the most considerable sweeping of the major state security service-the KGB. Chairman of the KGB Styapan Sukharenka and his first deputy Vasil Dzemyantsey lost their posts. Among the possible versions they started to speak in Minsk about “Lukashenka’s being afraid of the Russian influence on the Belarusian power-enforcement bodies”.

Last year the”Narodnaya Volya” asked Styapan Sukharenka:”Aren’t you afraid that your time will pass and you will be thrown away as your predecessor Leanid Yerin. And you will have to look for employment somewhere in Russia”.

“None of us has been ever thrown away, Sukharenka said. Uladzimir Mazkevich has been the ambassador for a long time. It is a serious state post. Leanid Yerin works an advisor of the head of the Russian railways. We communicate with him very often. And, I must admit, he is very satisfied with his life. He is a truly free person now. And throwing away… Post of the head of any body presupposes that any moment the decision may be taken on your dismissal. If my work does not satisfy the head of the state, he may take the decision on my dismissal. That is his right”.