Ministry of Defence (Belarus)

The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Belarus (Russian: Министерство обороны Республики Беларусь; Belarusian: Мiнiстэрства абароны Рэспублікі Беларусь) is the government organisation that is charged with the duties of raising and maintaining the Armed Forces of Belarus. It is Belarus's ministry of defence.

Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Belarus
Министерство обороны Республики Беларусь  (Russian)
Мiнiстэрства абароны Рэспублікі Беларусь  (Belarusian)
Emblem of the Armed Forces of Belarus

The building of ministry
Agency overview
Formed20 March 1992 (1992-03-20)
Preceding agency
Jurisdiction
HeadquartersBuilding 1 Kommunisticheskya Street Minsk, Belarus
Minister responsible
Agency executives
Websitewww.mil.by

The formation of the ministry began in March 1992, after the events of 1991 in which the Soviet Union had effectively dissolved. The ministry was formed on the basis of the former Headquarters of the Soviet Army's Belorussian Military District. Seven officers have served as Minister of Defence of Belarus: Petr Chaus, Pavel Kozlovskii, Anatoly Kostenko,[1] Leonid Maltsev (1995–96), Colonel General Alexander Chumakov, a Russian officer, (1996–2001),[2] Yuriy Zhadobin (2009–2014), Andrei Ravkov (2014–2020), and Viktor Khrenin (2020–present).

The ministry is part of the Security Council of Belarus, interdepartmental meeting with a mandate to ensure the security of the state. The President, currently Alexander Lukashenko, appoints the Minister of Defence, who heads the ministry, as well as the heads of the armed services. These four appointees meet with the Secretary of the Security Council every two months. Security Council decisions are approved by a qualified majority of those present. Since 2020, the position of Minister of Defence has been filled by Major General Viktor Khrenin.

The budget of the defence ministry in May 2018 was €560 million.[3][4]

Structure

Military Authorities

The following departments are under the control of the defence ministry:[5]

  • Central Support Elements
    • Office of the Minister of Defense
    • Deputy Ministers
  • General Staff of the Armed Forces
    • Main Operations Directorate
    • Main Intelligence Directorate
    • Main Organizational Mobilization Directorate
    • Main Ideology Directorate
    • Main Policy Directorate
    • Department of Information-Analytics
    • Department of Communications
    • Department of Territorial Defense
    • Department of Missile Forces and Artillery
    • Department of Finance
  • Logistics
    • Food Management
    • Clothing Management
    • Military Medical Administration
      • 432nd Main Military Clinical Medical Centre[6][7]
    • Housing Management
  • Other elements
    • Sports Committee of the Armed Forces
    • General Financial and Economic Department
    • Legal Department
    • Central Archives

Military Educational Institutions

Defence ministry building

In the late 1940s, a hill above Śvisłač in the Pukhavichy District was used to lay the foundation for the HQ of the Belarusian Military District. The project was entrusted to the architect Valentin Gusev, who risked not demolishing the ancient buildings surrounding it. It later became the defense ministry in 1992.[8]

Ministers of Defense

Deputy Ministers of Defence
  • Major General Yuri Merentsov (2004–2009)[9]
  • Major General Mikhail Puzikov (2009–2015)[10]
  • Major General Sergei Potapenko (2016–present)

References
  1. Yury Kasyanov, 'Maltsev's Reform,' NVO, No. 17, May 31–June 6, 2002, p.8. See also re Chaus, "Petr Chaus: schitayu, chto nam ne nuzhno …"', Krasnaya Zvezda, 16 July 1992.
  2. Richard Woff, 'Minsk: making limited progress with reform,' Jane's Intelligence Review, June 1996, 248. However, Woff dates Chumakov's appointment to 'late 1995.'
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-05-17. Retrieved 2018-05-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/belarus/budget.htm
  5. http://beloffice-g2n.zohosites.com/mobile/%D0%BC%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%8B.html
  6. https://www.mil.by/ru/health/medicine/950/
  7. "Almanac: Belarus, Republic of • Military Medicine Worldwide". military-medicine.com. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
  8. https://planetabelarus.by/sights/zdanie-ministerstva-oborony-belarusi/
  9. https://www.postkomsg.com/en/news/27/146503/
  10. http://www.svu.ru/biographies/biography/38.html
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