Lukashenko Fires KGB Chief in Security Service Shake-Up

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday fired the head of the country's KGB and his deputy in the security service's biggest purge in the recent years. Unofficial sources say that President Lukashenko may be afraid of Russia's influence on Belarusian security services.

President Lukashenko dismissed KGB Chairman Stepan Sukhorenko and his First Deputy Vasily Dementey "to transfer them to other jobs," the president's office said.

Mr. Sukhorenko was replaced by the head of the presidential security service, Yuri Zhadobin, who has been instructed to work on "strengthening the KGB staff," which virtually means that more dismissals in the KGB's high ranks will follow.

A Kommersant source close to the Belarusian leadership says that President Lukashenko was discontented with Mr. Sukhorenko's entourage rather than him personally.

Belarusian opposition leaders say that the reshuffle reflects an ongoing battle in the country between the KGB and oil tycoons.

Other politicians come up with more reasons. "Lukashenko is afraid of the security services' inference on his policies and influence of Russia on Belarusian siloviks," says opposition leader Nikolay Statkevich.

The dismissals came soon after Belarus said it has smashed an spy ring that was allegedly passing information to Poland about a joint Belarusian-Russian air defense system.