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Мiнiстэрства абароны Рэспублікі Беларусь (Belarusian) Министерство обороны Республики Беларусь (Russian) | |
![]() Emblem of the Armed Forces of Belarus | |
![]() The ministry building | |
Agency overview | |
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Formed | 20 March 1992 |
Preceding agency |
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Jurisdiction | |
Headquarters | Building 1 Kommunisticheskya Street Minsk, Belarus |
Minister responsible |
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Agency executive |
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Website | www |
The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Belarus (Belarusian: Мiнiстэрства абароны Рэспублікі Беларусь; Russian: Министерство обороны Республики Беларусь) 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,[1] Leonid Maltsev (1995–96), Colonel General Alexander Chumakov, a Russian officer, (1996–2001),[2] Yuriy Zhadobin (2009–2014), Andrei Ravkov (2014–2020), and Viktor Khrenin (2020–present).
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 defence, 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 2020, the position of minister of defence has been filled by Major General Viktor Khrenin.
The budget of the defence ministry in May 2018 was €560 million.[3][4] Another source said the military budget was pegged at around 1% GDP.[5]