A new analytical review by the Belarusian Council of Culture covering April-June 2026 notes a systemic trend: Belarusian theater is increasingly coming under the control of people from the security services. At least four major capital-city theaters — the Opera and Ballet Theatre, Kupala Theatre, Gorky Theatre and Belarusian State Puppet Theatre — already have former Interior Ministry and KGB employees occupying key positions.
While in the 2010s theaters served as “sinecures” for former Culture Ministry officials, the sector is now coming under the direct control of security officials.
According to the review, security officials currently hold key positions in at least four major capital-city theaters.
The management of the Opera and Ballet Theatre includes two police lieutenant colonels. In 2023, Vadzim Martysievič became deputy director (he is known for attempting last year to organize a tour by the ballet company to occupied Crimea, which was thwarted after the plans were made public). In February 2026, another deputy director — responsible for ideological and social affairs — was appointed: Dźmitry Kisły, a former head of the Interior Ministry’s cultural and educational work center.
Since 2024, the Gorky Theatre has had Juryj Pietrašeŭski as deputy director for security, regime and personnel. He is a police lieutenant colonel and former deputy head of the internal affairs department of the Miadzieĺ district executive committee.
Belarusian State Puppet Theatre: in 2024, a similar security position was given to police major Viačasłaŭ Leanienka, who had previously worked in the security sector. This year, he was promoted to director of the popular theater.
In June this year, Viktar Druzik, a lieutenant colonel and former head of the KGB’s internal security department, became deputy director of the Kupala Theatre.
The author of the review emphasizes that while the presence of security officials in the theater sector was previously limited to isolated cases with public biographies (for example, former military officer Ihar Hiedzič, who headed the Hrodna Drama Theatre from 2012 to 2025), the authorities are now approaching the sector systematically.
The analyst believes that theaters are turning into “cushy jobs” for former security officials, which vividly reflects the atmosphere of the current era. So far, the trend has become clearly apparent in several capital-city theaters, but in the future it will become clear whether other regional theaters will face the same fate, the analyst concludes.
