‘This Is The Main Person Lukashenka Should Be Afraid Of’
25- 18.01.2024, 22:07
- 57,300
SSU Major General speaks about a person who may be involved in a conspiracy against the dictator.
Could Lukashenka be recruited? Are there any Kremlin agents around Lukashenka? Who can plot against a dictator? Is the Belarusian KGB a branch of the Russian FSB?
Charter97.org spoke about this with the former Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Major General in the Reserve Viktor Yahun:
— There has been a department of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation in Minsk for many years. Previously, there were about 36 people, but I do not exclude that there are more of them now. They perform several of their tasks in Minsk. For example, they provide an official representative of the FSB of Russia in Belarus and coordinate actions with the KGB of Belarus. Perhaps they do not even inform the Belarusian special services about some operations.
— It is noteworthy that the head of the FSB Bortnikov sometimes flies to Minsk and meets with Lukashenka. It is difficult to name examples when the head of state meets with the chief of special services of another country. What kind of meetings can these be?
— It's hard to say. Bortnikov is a person who is not the first year in the closest circle of people who make decisions in the Russian Federation, sometimes even independently. There are not so many of them: Putin, Patrushev, Bortnikov, Ivanov. All of them are former KGB agents who began and served together in the Leningrad Department of the KGB of the USSR. Now they are manifesting themselves.
Bortnikov can solve problems that Putin sometimes cannot personally tell about. He can come and personally convey the message to the same Lukashenko.
— A year ago, a photo of a document appeared online, from which it follows that Lukashenka could allegedly be recruited by the KGB of the USSR. Could Lukashenka come to power in Belarus as a Russian agent?
— I don't think he came to power as a Russian agent. It is not excluded that he was recruited. In Ukraine, too, a lot of famous people were recruited. Some spoke out, others were silent, and the rest thought the storm would not touch them.
I emphasize that in the 90s under Yeltsin, the role of the special services was not so serious. They did not play this role for a long time. But they could have told him somewhere, saying, "Hrihorievich, you know that nothing is lost." Blackmailing him with such a piece of paper is, of course, nonsense. I don't think he'd be scared.
Russian special services began to work actively only when Putin came to power with a team of his friends. They have been playing seriously since the 2000s, when he became president of the Russian Federation.
— Are there many people around Lukashenka who may be Russian agents? What rank can they have?
— I think so, a lot. First of all, it is necessary to pay attention to the so-called State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Aliaksandr Volfavich. In my opinion, this is the main person whom Lukashenka should be afraid of. He has nothing to do with Belarus mentally or in any way.
I think that the Russians can bet on him, Volfavich is one of those who can seize Lukashenka's power at an appropriate time. I've been watching him for a long time. He's such a serious dude. His biography suggests that Russia can lead him.
It's hard to say who else is there. I would have looked for them in opposition. There are some features. There are a lot of questions for some 2020 candidates.
— What is Lukashenka’s ability to lead the state today or, given the infiltration of his entourage by Kremlin agents, has he lost all subjectivity?
— Lukashenka is still working independently. He has been in power for a long time and a lot of people owe him. Many security forces can side with him.
Another thing is that the so-called second echelon, given the age of this person, understands that Lukashenka will simply not be needed by Russia, at some point, everything will change.
They may assign Lukashenka a position of a figurehead, for example. They will probably remove him according to the same scheme as in the case with Nazarbayev. And his health seems to be not very good.
Therefore, the train must be prepared for possible perturbations, so I do not exclude that this is possible in the case of turbulent moments.
As for physical elimination, it is unprofitable for the Kremlin. If Lukashenka cooperates with the West, accepts conditions, releases the opposition, holds elections and stops repressions, then the Kremlin may think about eliminating him.