Lukashenka Transfers Chief of General Staff to His Administration
Reform.news Editorial Team · 28 September 2026, 11:48
https://reform.news/en/lukashenka-transfers-chief-of-general-staff-to-his-administration/Aliaksandr Lukashenka has appointed Pavel Muraveika deputy head of his administration. He previously served as chief of the General Staff and first deputy defence minister.
Uladzimir Bely will replace Muraveika at the General Staff. He previously served as deputy defence minister. He is 49 and holds the rank of major general. Before being appointed deputy defence minister in July 2026, he was in charge of combat training for the Armed Forces. He previously commanded the Western Operational Command and headed the General Staff faculty at the Military Academy. He served in mechanised units and special operations forces.
Aliaksandr Lukashenka said he had appointed Muraveika because he wanted an alternative point of view.
“The main thing is that, as president and commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, it is very important for me to have several alternative points of view on the situation in our security forces. In my view, you are suited to this role.
An alternative, competing point of view must exist at the highest level. I need that. I want our Armed Forces to be ready for the most serious clashes and operations, so that they can be avoided. Our one goal is to defend the piece of land on which we live,” he said.
According to Lukashenka, Muraveika must now be “free from everyone,” including the State Secretariat of the Security Council and the Defence Ministry. It should be noted that previously there were no deputies responsible for military affairs in Lukashenka’s administration. He pointed this out while giving instructions to the new chief of the General Staff.
“From today, or perhaps tomorrow, he will be under close scrutiny, and perhaps under pressure from the president—not only through the State Secretariat, but also through the Presidential Administration.
That is how life goes. No hard feelings; you know my approach. I must know everything that is happening in the Armed Forces,” he added.
To be updated