Russia recalled from Belarus Ambassador Babich. Minsk stated that he "did not understand the difference between the federal district and an independent state"

Vladimir Putin withdrew Mikhail Babich from the post of Russian Ambassador to Belarus "in connection with the transition to another job." Senator Dmitry Mezentsev was appointed to Babich's place. Since 2015, Mezentsev has been a member of the Federation Council from the Sakhalin Region, his powers have expired in September 2019. Prior to this, Mezentsev was the Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, as well as the governor of the Irkutsk region.

The decree on the appointment of Mezentsev was adopted with violations, the first deputy chairman of the State Duma committee on international affairs Dmitry Novikov told RBC. The law regulating the rules for the appointment of ambassadors of the Russian Federation implies preliminary consultations with members of the Russian parliament. According to Novikov, the Ambassador to Minsk should be approved by the CIS Committee. The publication of the decree before the discussion is “violation of the procedure”, the deputy said.

Babich worked in Belarus less than a year. He was appointed ambassador to August 2018. According to the sources of Kommerant, this decision was made in the Kremlin. Prior to this, Babich did not work with a diplomat-he served in the Airborne Forces and KGB troops, headed the Antei Corporation, in the early 2000s he led the Government of Chechnya. Then he worked as an assistant director of the FSB border service and was elected to the State Duma. Since 2011, he has been the president’s envoy in the Volga Federal District.

The ambassador quarreled in absentia in absentia in absentia in absentia. Babich’s appointment coincided with Russia's attempts to convince President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko to speed up the integration of the two countries. Babich actively traveled to the Belarusian regions, met Lukashenko several times and said that "any attack on Belarus Moscow would consider an attack on Russia." At the same time, in recent months, the ambassador several times entered the correspondence polemic with the Belarusian Foreign Ministry. For the first time, the reason was an interview with Babich RIA Novosti, in which he urged Minsk to determine the integration format, and not exchange reproaches with Russia. The Foreign Ministry called Babich’s tone “mentor” and stated that he “did not understand the difference between the federal district and an independent state.” The last dispute occurred in April. After the hard commentary of Babich addressed to Lukashenko, the Foreign Ministry said that the ambassador was destroying the relationship between Belarus with Russia.

Babich was dismissed at Lukashenko’s request , Kommersant sources said . According to them, the Belarusian president has repeatedly asked the Russian leader about this. The last time the request was made at the recent forum “One Belt - One Way” in Beijing. Lukashenko allegedly asked to withdraw the ambassador and assured Putin that he was ready to accelerated integration. “Putin agreed, gave Lukashenko a year, promising not to intervene in the inner Belarusian agenda,” said Kommersant's interlocutor. Officially, the press service of Lukashenko said that Belarus was not against the appointment of a new ambassador. The Belarusian Foreign Ministry did not comment on Babich's resignation.

Before the appointment to Belarus, Babich wanted to send an ambassador to Ukraine. They refused to accept him there. In 2016, Babich planned to appoint a Russian ambassador to Kiev, but the Ukrainian authorities refused to accept it. Officially they did not explain this decision in any way; It was unofficially reported that the refusal is due to Babich’s connections with the special services. Now Russia does not have an ambassador in Ukraine - only a temporary attorney.

Olga Korelina