The Regime Has A Problem With New Faces
- 26.05.2025, 10:35
What's behind Lukashenko's appointments.
In the past week, the governor made a number of significant personnel changes. The decisions regarding Nataliya Petkevich and Vladimir Karanik attracted the main attention. But the transfers of Nikolai Sherstnev and Valeriy Vakulchik are also curious.
Two months ago "Salidarnasts" wrote about the head of the Football Federation: the chances of Sherstnev's resignation are growing. His conflict with Lukashenka's ex-guardian and current Minister of Sport Sergei Kovalchuk came to the point that Sherstnev publicly and harshly criticized sports officials.
There is one of his statements in mid-March: "Every year various bureaucratic procedures are invented, but not measures aimed at the development of soccer.
Sherstnev, though an experienced verticalist, could not put up with decisions that harm the popular sport, and suddenly found himself in the role of almost an oppositionist.
What does his appointment as deputy administrator of the ruler's affairs mean? Probably, Lukashenko is thus suppressing the "rebellion" of Sherstnev, who is soon to be dismissed from the post of the head of the Football Federation.
But still the official has served the ruler for several decades, and Lukashenko needs experienced personnel - that's why 64-year-old Sherstnev was given a new job.
Valery Vakulchik has a new post now - he was appointed chief of staff of the Council of Ministers. The enforcer had been the head of the KGB for almost 8 years, managed to be the Secretary of the Security Council, but in the fall of 2020 he was sent into a kind of exile.
Why Vakulchik was guilty in Lukashenko's eyes is not entirely clear: perhaps, in the opinion of the ruler, he was guilty of allowing mass protests or failure to suppress them.
The appointment as presidential aide for Brest region could hardly please Vakulchik, so Lukashenko assured him and Karayev that their powers would be "much broader".
In the past years, the former head of the KGB did not make people doubt his loyalty, sat quietly in Brest and therefore got a new chance: Vakulchik is returning to Minsk - for the time being to the government apparatus.
In general, Lukashenko's personnel decisions are based on the experienced and proven vertical leaders - the regime still has an acute problem with new faces. In such a situation, it is even somewhat surprising why Mikhail Myasnikovich, who recently celebrated his 75th birthday, remains without a high-ranking position.
The chairman of the Supreme Court Valentin Sukalo is 82. And a few years ago, Lukashenko fired 72-year-old Vladimir Semashko from his post as ambassador to Russia only after he was hospitalized with a heart attack.