Cause of death of Belarusian Foreign Minister was suicide

The cause of death of Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei in November last year was suicide.

Source: Belarusian opposition publication Nasha Niva, citing 4 independent sources from the Medicine field and public administration

Details: The publication notes that the cause of Makei's death was not specified in the report of the BelTA [the state-owned national news agency of the Republic of Belarus] on 26 November.

Four sources of Nasha Niva in the Public Administration and medicine experts called suicide the cause of his death.

The outlet writes that a combination of factors could have led to such a decision, but does not voice details for ethical reasons.

At the same time, it is noted that the last years of the minister's life were accompanied by "both political and personal dramas."

"Friends of Makei say that he was hurt by the collapse of the course that he was conducting, and he often felt unneeded, and sometimes simply inappropriate," the outlet writes.

According to it, Makei also knew that the administration of self-proclaimed President Alexander Lukashenko had started looking for candidates to replace him.

"Recently, he was denied personal attention, which was very sensitive for him," said his colleague.

"This did not mean that he would be removed tomorrow. But he knew that [his stay in] his former high position was coming to an end. And after the heights [he had reached], he did not see himself anywhere else, " said one of the interlocutors.

Makei also had problems in the family.

According to Nasha Niva, on the day of his death, Makei returned home alone. His wife Vera Polyakova and youngest son stayed in another apartment.

According to the publication, the first person to find him dead was Polyakova's eldest son, who went to his residence in the settlement of Drozdy after the family could not contact him by phone.

Nasha Niva's interlocutors see no signs that it was a murder disguised as a suicide.

The publication ends its article with a quote from Makei and connects it with the war in Ukraine.

" 'I don't remember who said this, but if you are going to be executed, it is better to execute for loyalty than for treason,' Makei said on 1 April 2022, when it became clear that Russia's plan to seize Ukraine failed", Nasha Niva writes.

Background:

• On 26 November, the state news agency of Belarus reported on the sudden death of the minister of foreign affairs of Belarus Vladimir Makei.
• Makei was 64 years old. He served as Belarusian foreign minister since 20 August 2012.

On 13 December, self-proclaimed President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko assigned Sergei Aleynik as foreign minister instead of the late Makei.

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