Drastic precautionary measures were taken by surprise by the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, replacing his entire staff just twenty-four hours after the sudden death of his country's Foreign Minister, Vladimir Makay.
In a stunning move, Belarusian President and bosom friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin replaced cooks, servants and guards, giving new impetus to scenarios that the 64-year-old Belarusian Foreign Minister had fallen victim to poisoning.
The news of... "changing of the guard" at the Belarusian presidential palace was broadcast through the Telegram channels of Russia and Ukraine, with no official confirmation yet, although rumors about the experienced diplomat and intelligence veteran McKay are rampant, given that he was described as "healthy" while flying in his country's military plane a week ago, with nothing to foreshadow his inglorious end last weekend.
On the contrary, the Belarusian Foreign Minister ended up the day after his meeting with the representative of the Holy See, Ante Jozić, as he was his country's link to the West and while information suggested he was mediating a secret plan to end the war in Ukraine. Indeed, his death came within hours of his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, a meeting scheduled for today, with Moscow saying it was "shocked" at the news of his death.
Nevzlin: FSB poison
At the same time, a new dimension to Mackey's death is provided by Leonid Nevzlin, an exiled oligarch who opposes Russian President Vladimir Putin, who claimed that the Belarusian Foreign Minister "died as a result of poisoning developed in a special FSB laboratory". Nevzlin cited sources "close to the Russian special services", claiming that "the clinical picture in such cases corresponds to death by stroke or heart failure".
In Nevzlin's view, the death of McKay, essentially the second most important man in the state, has caused panic in Belarusian nomenklatura circles, not excluding the Belarusian President, Alexander Lukashenko.
According to the General SVR channel on Telegram, which reportedly has access to "closed" information, McKay's death has severed Belarus' remaining relations with Western powers, "seeing" the Kremlin's finger behind the unexpected event.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Vera Mackey's 44-year-old widow, actress and head of the Minsk Youth Theatre, has made no comment on her husband's death, while Belarusian President and political boss Alexander Lukashenko limited himself to a brief statement expressing condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.
Source: protothema.gr
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