Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
Andrei Alekseyevich Ravkov ( be, Андрэй Аляксеевіч Раўкоў, born on 25 June 1967 in Revyaki,
Vitebsk Region
Vitebsk Region or Vitebsk Oblast or Viciebsk Voblasts ( be, Ві́цебская во́бласць, ''Viciebskaja voblasć'', ; rus, Ви́тебская о́бласть, Vitebskaya oblast, ˈvʲitʲɪpskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a region ( oblas ...
) is a Belarusian General and military leader who last served as the State Secretary of the
Security Council of Belarus
The Security Council of Belarus ( Belarusian: Савет бяспекі Рэспублікі Беларусь, Russian: Совет безопасности Республики Беларусь) is an interdepartmental body with a mandate to ens ...
in 2020.
Early life and career
In 1984, he graduated from
Minsk Suvorov Military School
The Minsk Suvorov Military School (MnSVU) ( be, Мінск Сувораўскае ваеннае вучылішча; russian: Минское суворовское военное училище) is one of the Suvorov Military Schools in Belarus a ...
. In 1988, he graduated with honors from the
Moscow Higher Military Command School
The Moscow Higher Combined Arms Command School ''"Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR"'' (abbreviated to MVOKU) is a higher military educational institution of the Russian Armed Forces.
History
The school was formed in December 15, 1917 (O.S., December ...
. He worked his way from the commander of the platoon to commander of the battalion. In 1999, he graduated with a gold medal from the Command and Staff Department of the
Military Academy of Belarus. In 2005, he graduated with honours from the
and was appointed commander of the 103rd Separate Guards Mobile Brigade. From 2006 to 2012 he served as Chief of the Operations Department and concurrently as Deputy Chief of Staff of the
Western Operational Command
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
* Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that i ...
. On 16 November 2012, he became Commander of the
North Western Operational Command. That year, he was elected to the Minsk regional council of deputies from
Borisov
Borisov or Borisova may refer to:
Places
* Barysaw, or Borisov, Belarus
** Borisov Arena, a football stadium
** Battle of Borisov, 1812
* Borisov, Volgograd Oblast, Russia
* Borišov, a mountain in Slovakia
* Borisova, Perm Krai, Russia
* Bor ...
. By order of President
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (as transliterated from Russian; also transliterated from Belarusian as Alyaksand(a)r Ryhoravich Lukashenka;, ; rus, Александр Григорьевич Лукашенко, Aleksandr Grigoryevich Luk ...
on 24 November 2014, he was appointed to the post of Minister of Defence.
Activities as Minister of Defense
In the run-up to the
2015 Minsk Victory Day Parade
The annual Victory Day Parade ( be, Парад Перамогі; russian: Парад Победы) on Victors Avenue in Minsk (the capital of Belarus) is a traditional military parade of the Armed Forces of Belarus that takes place every 5 year ...
, Ravkov ordered the changing of the open top inspection vehicle used on
Victors Avenue from the traditional ZIL-41044 to the
Hongqi L5
The Hongqi L5 is a large retro styled luxury car produced by Hongqi whose design was inspired by the discontinued Hongqi CA770, serving as Hongqi's flagship vehicle for the Chinese automotive market. It has a length of 5.555m, five being a lucky ...
, which is an official state car in
China. In 2017, after the death of a conscript soldier Alexander Korzhich due to repeated
hazing, he reaffirmed his support in the conscription system while conceding that it needed changes due to the lack of recruits. In late September 2017, Ravkov presided over the
Zapad 2017 exercise with
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
. He announced in November 2018 that the national defence plan for 2019 will be adjusted to come in line with the most recent military doctrine.
In June 2019, he announced the entry of a bill in the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
, the largest of its provisions being a mechanism that institutes mandatory military service. In the substantiation of the law's draft, authored by Ravkov, the need to for this is justified by the fact that the chairmen of local executive authorities and their deputies head their own territorial defense zones. On 28 June 2019, the House of Representatives passed this bill in second reading. After the law enters into force, eligible graduates of higher educational institutions such as
Belarusian State University
Belarusian State University (BSU) ( be, links=no, Белару́скі дзяржа́ўны ўніверсітэ́т, ; russian: links=no, Белору́сский госуда́рственный университе́т) is a university in Mins ...
are required to engage in military service immediately and will not be able to continue their postgraduate studies. He was dismissed in January 2020, succeeding
Stanislav Zas as Secretary of the
Security Council of Belarus
The Security Council of Belarus ( Belarusian: Савет бяспекі Рэспублікі Беларусь, Russian: Совет безопасности Республики Беларусь) is an interdepartmental body with a mandate to ens ...
.
Security Council chief
He was dismissed on 3 September 2020, being succeeded by the Chairman of the
KGB
The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...
,
Valery Vakulchik.
Post-military
On 19 November, he was appointed as the Ambassador to
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...
. On 16 February 2021, he presented his credentials to President
Ilham Aliyev.
International sanctions
In August 2020, Ravkov was put under sanctions by
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
,
Latvia and
Lithuania over his role in suppressing the
2020 Belarusian protests. On 6 November 2020, he was sanctioned by the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
, the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. On 24 November,
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
,
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
,
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...
,
Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = M ...
and
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
aligned themselves with the November EU sanctions against 15 Belarusian individuals, while
Switzerland did the same on 11 December.
Dates of rank
See also
*
Security Council of Belarus
The Security Council of Belarus ( Belarusian: Савет бяспекі Рэспублікі Беларусь, Russian: Совет безопасности Республики Беларусь) is an interdepartmental body with a mandate to ens ...
References
External links
Defense Ministry's official biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ravkov, Andrei
1967 births
People from Beshankovichy District
Belarusian generals
Defence ministers of Belarus
Government of Belarus
Living people
Minsk Suvorov Military School alumni
Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia alumni