Ministry of Defence (Belarus)


The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Belarus is the government organisation that is charged with the duties of raising and maintaining the Armed Forces of Belarus. 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, Leonid Maltsev, Colonel General Alexander Chumakov, a Russian officer,, Yuriy Zhadobin, Andrei Ravkov, and Viktor Khrenin.
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 Defense, 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 2014, the position of Minister of Defense has been filled by Lieutenant General Andrei Ravkov.
The budget of the defence ministry in May 2018 was €560 million.

Structure

Military Authorities

The following departments are under the control of the defence ministry:
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.

List of Ministers of Defense