What Theories Are Circulating Around the 'Suspicious' Death of Belarusian Foreign Minister

At the age of 65, Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei has died suddenly. Until his last day, he was active in his position. On Monday, November 28, Makei was scheduled to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The speculations regarding the causes of the political figure's unexpected death have become a direct continuation of controversies surrounding his diplomatic activities, writes Moskovskiy Komsomolets.

The source details that after graduating from the Vienna Diplomatic Academy in 1993, former Soviet Army colonel Vladimir Makei began working at the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2000 to 2008, Makei served as an assistant to President Alexander Lukashenko, and subsequently headed the presidential administration. Since 2012, Makei has returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as its chief. Given such experience, it can be confidently stated that Makei enjoyed great trust from Lukashenko. Their views regarding Belarus's multi-vector foreign policy did not notably differ.

However, some journalists and political scientists have argued that Makei was not only the conductor of Belarusian multi-vector policy but also its direct architect. Moreover, it was suggested that the diplomat’s supposedly formed pro-Western views gave reason to consider him a primary candidate for the alternative leadership of Belarus acceptable to the West.

Makei was indeed an advocate for developing relations with Europe. For example, in 2019 he advocated for overcoming the contradictions between Europe and Belarus and for the 'revival of the spirit' of the Helsinki process. He consistently called for a strong and united Europe and a stable Eurasian-Atlantic partnership. Makei also established military cooperation with the United Kingdom, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and the USA.

According to some Belarusian media outlets, Makei died of a heart attack at his home in Drozd. Yet, against the backdrop of the diplomat's death, theories regarding his poisoning have emerged. For example, one of them suggests that the West had a 'bone to pick' with Makei for supporting closer integration with Russia recently while simultaneously trying to sow discord in allied relations. Meanwhile, everything without evidence is blamed on Russia in Ukraine.

Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to the Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs, stated that Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei might have died from poisoning. On his Twitter microblog, he indicated that this incident could serve as a signal to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. “The head of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vladimir Makei, has died at the age of 64. There are rumors that he may have been poisoned. Makei was referred to as a potential successor to Lukashenko, he was one of the few who was not under Russian influence. It is said that this could be a hint to Lukashenko,” he wrote.

In contrast, the British Daily Mail reports that Makei was poisoned as a result of an operation carried out by the Kremlin. The publication cites the claims of Leonid Nevzlin, an opposition figure and businessman close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, asserting that Makei “died from the application of poison developed in a special laboratory of the Federal Security Service.” Nevzlin referenced “sources close to Russian special services” claiming, “In such cases, the clinical picture corresponds to death from a stroke or heart failure.”