Late Belarus Foreign Minister Took His Own Life Days After Meeting With Vladimir Putin: Sources
Feb. 21 2023, Published 6:15 p.m. ET
Belarus Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei killed himself just days after he returned from a meeting with Vladimir Putin in Armenia, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Makei, 64, passed away in November 2022. At the time, it was reported that Makei suffered a fatal heart attack after meeting with the Kremlin leader.
But an independent Belarusian news outlet contradicted the narrative this week, claiming Makei took his own life.
According to Nasha Niva, four sources close to the late foreign minister revealed Makei's alleged true cause of death. The insiders claimed that Makei was distraught after he returned from the summit in Armenia. Four days later, he was dead.
"Makei’s friends say he was painfully upset by the collapse of the course he was leading," one insider claimed, adding that individuals close to the leader ruled out the possibility of murder.
The news outlet alleged that Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko looked to step into Makei's role as the country's foreign minister, but did not speculate whether or not the move was at the behest of the Kremlin.
Makei served as Lukashenko's top diplomat since 2012.
"Recently, he has been denied personal attention [from Lukashenko]," Makei's colleague said under the condition of anonymity. "It was very perceptible to him."
Another close source spoke of Makei's future as foreign minister and shared, "He understood that the former high position [he was occupying] was coming to an end. And after his heights, he did not see himself anywhere else."
Other insiders who knew Makei told the independent news outlet that he allegedly experienced increasing doubts that he was "unnecessary" and "sometimes simply out of place."
"I don’t remember who said it, but if you are going to be executed, then it is better to be executed for loyalty than for treason," Makei said seven months before his death.
Lukashenko was present for Makei's funeral, however, the Kremlin did not send his counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, to represent Russia at the service.
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Many feared that Makei's mysterious death was a victim of Putin's wrath after rumors spread that the foreign minister was poisoned.
Exiled Russian businessman and vocal Kremlin critic Leonid Nevzlin accused Russia of murdering Makei, who he claimed "died as a result of poisoning using a poison developed in an FSB special laboratory."
Nevzlin alleged sources "close to the Russian special services" confirmed the poisoning and added symptoms included heart failure, a heart attack, or stroke.
