Belarus Minister Aleksey Avramenko Sudden Death Raises Questions in the Transport and Communications Sector

Aleksey Nikolaevich Avramenko, a Belarusian statesman, held the position of Minister of Transport and Communications from 2019 until 2023.

Who was Aleksey Avramenko ?

Aleksey Avramenko was born on May 11, 1977, and he passed away at the age of 46 on July 4, 2023. Over the course of his life, he forged a career as a Belarusian political figure. He is recognised for his tenure as the Minister of Transport and Communications from 2019 to 2023. Avramenko originally came from Minsk in the former Byelorussian SSR, which was part of the USSR.

The life journey of Aleksey Avramenko

In November, the foreign minister Vladimir Makey passed away at the age of 65 under mysterious circumstances, with the cause of his death remaining undisclosed. Adding to the government of Minsk’s woes, the Minister of Transport and Communications of Belarus, Aleksey Avramenko, also unexpectedly passed away on July 4 at the age of 47. According to the Belta agency, the Ministry didn’t provide any details regarding the cause of his passing. Avramenko has been serving as a minister since 2019 and has held the position of deputy minister in the Ministry of Belarusian Transport and Communications since 2013.

Notably, Avramenko had faced international sanctions due to his involvement in the illegal diversion of passenger flight FR4978 to Minsk Airport on May 23, 2021, which led to the arrest of opposition journalist Raman Pratashevich. He becomes the second Minsk minister to pass away since the invasion of Ukraine by Fly. In April, Sergei Mityansky, the Deputy Minister of the Economy, also passed away at the age of 43, reportedly due to an illness.

How did Aleksey Avramenko died ?

According to a state news agency, Belarusian Transport Minister Aleksey Avramenko, 47, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday. He was known for his involvement in the unauthorized rerouting of a flight in 2021, which resulted in the apprehension of dissident journalist Roman Pratasevich, as per the Daily Mail. The Belta news agency report did not specify the cause of his death but conveyed deep condolences from his government department to his family and friends. This news follows the sudden demise of Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei at the age of 64 in November. Initially attributed to a heart attack, subsequent reports in February from sources in the Belarusian newspaper Nasha Niva suggested that his death may have been a possible suicide.

Reason Behind his Death.

The exact cause of his death has not been disclosed. Avramenko has been serving as a minister since 2019 and had previously held the position of deputy minister in the Belarusian Ministry of Transport and Communications since 2013. He had faced international sanctions for his involvement in the forced diversion of passenger flight FR4978 to Minsk airport on May 23, 2021, which resulted in the arrest of opposition journalist Raman Pratasevich. Avramenko is the second minister from Minsk to pass away since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. In April, Deputy Minister of the Economy, Sergej Mitjansky, also passed away at the age of 43, reportedly due to an illness.

Mysterious Deaths Among Russian Elites Amid Ukraine Conflict

Wagner Group Leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Recent Death Sparks Concern

Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Tragic Plane Crash:

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, met a tragic end in a plane crash while traveling between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. His death came shortly after a mutiny by his mercenaries in June, which strained his relationship with President Putin.

Speculation Surrounding Prigozhin’s Death:

Many speculate that Prigozhin’s death might be a political assassination, signaling a warning to Russia’s elites ahead of the 2024 elections. Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak shares this sentiment.

Putin’s Response:

President Putin offered condolences and acknowledged Prigozhin’s contribution to fighting in Ukraine. He described Prigozhin as a complex figure with both achievements and mistakes. Several Russian elites have died under mysterious circumstances in the past year, raising concerns and conspiracy theories.

Deaths in Early 2022:

The string of unusual deaths began in early 2022, just before Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Notable figures like Leonid Shulman, Alexander Tyulakov, Igor Nosov, and Mikhail Watford were among those who passed away.

Bizarre Deaths:
Some deaths took on bizarre and perplexing forms, such as Vasily Melnikov’s family stabbing and Vladislav Avayev’s murder-suicide. Alexander Subbotin’s death, involving a shaman and Jamaican voodoo rituals, stood out as particularly unusual.

Continued Deaths:
The pattern of elite deaths persisted into late 2022, with Pavel Antonov’s fatal fall from a hotel window in India. Several of these individuals had voiced criticism of Putin’s actions in Ukraine.
Despite these puzzling incidents, there is no clear and definitive explanation for these deaths. Many have noted the connection between the outspokenness of these elites and their unfortunate fates.
The death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, along with the string of mysterious deaths among Russian elites, remains a topic of intrigue and speculation, leaving many questions unanswered about the circumstances surrounding these individuals’ demises.

Other mysterious Russian deaths or attacks surrounding Putin

Boris Nemtsov

In 2015, Boris Nemtsov, a prominent Russian opposition figure known for his strong criticism of the Putin administration, was fatally shot in an assault that took place on a bridge within sight of the Kremlin.

• He met his demise just a few days prior to his scheduled leadership of an uncommon public demonstration against Russia’s takeover of Ukraine’s Crimean area and its backing of separatist activities in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region.
• The Kremlin disavowed any participation, while in 2017, a Russian court found five individuals guilty of Nemtsov’s murder in a trial that his family labeled as an attempt to conceal the truth.
• In the years that followed, it came to light that a government agent working with a group that carried out assassinations had been closely watching him in the months before his death.

Alexei Navalny

The leader of the opposition, Navalny, who is currently incarcerated for approximately three decades, was poisoned in August 2020 using a potent nerve agent known as Novichok, a product of Soviet Union’s research and development.

• The Kremlin claimed no responsibility, but later inquiries conducted by Bellingcat revealed that the individuals behind the assault were affiliated with Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and that the decision to poison him had come from the highest levels of the Kremlin.

Alexander Litvinenko:

In 2006, Litvinenko, a former KGB agent turned whistleblower, passed away in the United Kingdom as a result of poisoning with a scarce and extremely radioactive substance known as polonium-210.

• Once more, Russia has refused any participation, yet both the United Kingdom and the European Court of Human Rights have reached the determination that Russia likely played a role. The UK investigation even went as far as suggesting that Putin “likely sanctioned” the assassination of Litvinenko.
• One of the indications suggesting the Kremlin’s participation is the observation that nearly all the global supply of polonium-210 originates from state-managed nuclear facilities in Russia, where nuclear authorities have emphasized strict oversight over access to this element.

Sergei Skripal:

In 2018, Skripal, a former Russian intelligence operative residing in the United Kingdom, along with his daughter, fell victim to an assault in Salisbury. They were targeted with a nerve agent that bore a resemblance to the substance employed in the attack against Navalny.

• Skripal and his daughter managed to survive, but a British citizen lost their life, and several others were harmed when they encountered a perfume container suspected to be linked to the incident.
• The United States, the United Kingdom, and several other countries have jointly determined that individuals affiliated with the Russian military intelligence agency were responsible for the poisonings. Furthermore, the United Kingdom has formally accused three members of this agency in connection with the incidents.

Yuri Shchekochikhin: 

In July 2003, Russian investigative journalist and liberal lawmaker Shchekochikhin experienced a sudden illness and passed away. Doctors at a hospital associated with the Kremlin stated at the time that his cause of death was attributed to a severe allergic reaction.

• His family members have reported that Shchekochikhin endured a harrowing 12-day period characterized by excruciating pain, during which his skin progressively peeled off, his hair fell out, and his organs suffered successive failures.
• When they requested access to Shchekochikhin’s medical records, medical professionals informed his family that these documents were being held by prosecutors, citing them as a “medical secret.” This was in relation to an investigation that would not be initiated until several years later.
• In the years leading up to his demise, Shchekochikhin had published investigative reports exposing a smuggling operation, money laundering activities, and a corruption scandal involving high-ranking FSB (Federal Security Service) agents.
• Additionally, he had been delving into the potential involvement of the FSB in the 1999 Moscow apartment bombings, an event that played a part in triggering the Second Chechen War.

Anna Politkovskaya

In October 2006, Anna Politkovskaya, a Russian journalist and advocate for human rights, was fatally shot in her residence located in Moscow.

• She had documented human rights abuses during the Second Chechen War and authored a book in 2004, asserting that Putin, via the FSB, was suppressing civil liberties to steer the nation toward a Soviet-style dictatorship before she passed away.
• In 2014, a Moscow court convicted five men for her murder, but the identity of the individual who ordered her assassination was never determined.

Multiple Russian oligarchs and executives also died :

According to a report from The New York Times, a number of prominent Russian oligarchs and high-ranking executives have met untimely deaths in perplexing circumstances, including suicides and accidents, since the commencement of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

• Ravil Maganov, who held the position of Chairman of the Board at Lukoil, a prominent Russian conglomerate, experienced a tragic and unexpected demise in September 2022. This unfortunate incident occurred when he fell from a hospital window in Moscow. The circumstances surrounding his death garnered significant attention and controversy in Russia and beyond.
• Russian media initially reported that Ravil Maganov had taken his own life, implying that it was a case of suicide. However, in response to these reports, Lukoil released an official statement following his passing. According to the company’s statement, Maganov did not succumb to suicide but rather passed away as a result of a severe illness.

The sudden and perplexing nature of Maganov’s death, along with the contrasting narratives presented by the media and Lukoil, added an extra layer of complexity to this tragic event. It raised questions and speculation within both the business community and the public, leaving many seeking further information and clarity about the circumstances surrounding the loss of a key figure in one of Russia’s largest private corporations.