Defence Ministry of Belarus

The Defence Ministry of Belarus (Belarusian: Міністэрства абароны Беларусі) controls the Armed Forces of Belarus. The ministry is part of the Security Council of Belarus, interdepartmental meeting with a mandate to ensure the security of the state. The President, Alexander Lukashenko, appoints the Minister of Defense, Andrei Ravkov since 2014, 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.

The ministry is composed of five main directorates, two main departments, one minor department, an agency and General Staff. It was created on 20 March 1992.

External links

• Website of the Ministry of Defence of Belarus

Defence Ministers of Belarus Peter Chaus (1991–1992) Pavel Pavlovich Kozlovsky (1992-1994) Anatoly Kostenko (1994-1995) Leonid Maltsev (1995-1996) Aleksandr Petrovich Chumakov (1996-2001) Leonid Maltsev (2001-2009) Yuri Zhadobin (2009-2014) Andrei Ravkov (2014-)