Reshuffles in the Ministry of Internal Affairs: Lukashenko replaced the “chain Barbos” with the “dire wolf”
Personnel changes in the Ministry of Internal Affairs have become the main political news in Belarus for the second day. On Monday, Interior Minister Igor Shunevich, who had held the ministerial chair since 2012, suddenly resigned.
Shunevich was perhaps the most brilliant and charismatic of the Belarusian ministers, and his charisma was far from being what local liberals and nationalists liked. A kind of seasoned cop, a servant-guardian. Rude, politically incorrect, straightforward and not trained in politeness, Shunevich could easily, in defiance of the liberal Foreign Minister Makei, criticize the British embassy for hanging a rainbow flag, without hiding his intolerant attitude towards sexual minorities. On Victory Day, he liked to wear an identical to the original NKVD uniform, which he was very proud of. The uniform was made by personal order and with the personal money of the ex-minister. I put it on to show that the memory of the people who ever wore this uniform is alive and revered to this day.
It is clear that liberals and nationalists hated such a minister. And this is putting it mildly - a real information war was launched against Shunevich and his subordinates. Any careless step or ambiguous statement by the minister was immediately inflated by the opposition media to the scale of a universal scandal.
Recently, this information war has taken forms that are completely unprecedented for Belarus. Regular leaks of unsightly classified information from the Ministry of Internal Affairs began through the telegram channel of blogger Stepan Svetlov, who lives in Poland and works for the Polish propaganda TV channel BelSat. It got to the point that the minister was literally spied on - on the same channel they posted photographs of Shunevich’s official car, which violated parking rules.
Svetlov receives his salary from the budget of the Polish Foreign Ministry, which contains the entire television channel. It is possible that the Polish intelligence services had a hand in his leaks. But even without the participation of the owners of impressive Belarusian shoulder straps, such leaks would have been impossible. It is likely that the new minister will have to deal with the sources of these leaks.
Shunevich was also hated by representatives of the drug lobby, among whom was the lion's share of the pro-Western opposition. The minister pursued a policy of zero tolerance towards this social evil and consistently blocked all opposition initiatives aimed at easing anti-drug legislation. “Drug” Article 328 of the Criminal Code of Belarus has become the second front of the information war against the minister.
In short, Shunevich had plenty of enemies, although in conservative and pro-Russian circles he was quite popular as a guardian, guarding the interests of the state and traditional values.
Shunevich was also supported by crime rates, which are at their lowest level since the declaration of independence, the fight against drugs, the problem of which has always been very acute in the country, and the reduction in the level of corruption in the authorities - now giving a bribe to a Belarusian policeman is usually a thankless and risky task.
And suddenly he resigned. He was not sent away, but left on his own, with the dignity of an officer. He filed a report and spoke about it himself, without waiting for the official announcement. They say my health has failed.
Liberals, nationalists, drug lobbyists and LGBT popularizers had a holiday yesterday. The minister, who had the reputation of being a chained Barbos Lukashenko, found himself out of work. No one had any illusions that a liberal-Westerner would take his place. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is, in principle, a protective structure, and liberals do not make a career there. The calculation was different - according to opposition analysts, Shunevich’s successor had to “come into power” for a long time and gain political weight. And in this situation, he could become a kind of “good policeman”, forced to act in contrast to the “dumb” Shunevich, to avoid politically incorrect statements and confrontation with the liberal media.
But it didn't happen. A new minister was appointed less than XNUMX hours after the resignation of the previous one. And many of those who celebrated his passing yesterday are now hastily throwing ashes on their heads. And, if Shunevich was a chain Barbos, then Karaev, who took his place, is a real direwolf. Of all the personnel of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, this person is the most undesirable figure for them.
An Ossetian, a native of the special forces and the owner of a maroon beret, Karaev is no less charismatic than Shunevich and at the same time no less popular in the security forces. Karaev is a tough but effective manager, a careerist, but honest, not prone to intrigue and corruption.
Unlike Shunevich, he is rational, not prone to theatrical effects and loud statements, and therefore is less vulnerable to information attacks. As a new minister, he temporarily finds himself beyond criticism when it comes to the chaos in the authorities. Polish telegram channels and Belarusian opposition sites will simply burn in vain.
But Karaev will not work idle. He will strengthen discipline and restore order in the authorities.
The period of two electoral campaigns - presidential and parliamentary, as well as possible constitutional reform - is not the time for liberals in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. General Karaev is the person who will, without relaxing, keep a tight rein on the situation, ready to tighten them at the right moment without hesitation.
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