Ukraine refuses to accept Babich, Putin appoints him Ambassador to Belarus

Vladimir Pitin has appointed Mikhail Babich as Russia's Ambassador to Belarus. He has also become the Russian President’s special representative for the development of trade and economic cooperation with Belarus. Putin signed the corresponding order on August 24 and it has already been published on the official legal information Internet portal. The ex-ambassador Alexander Surikov has been dismissed from the position.

Babich is 49 years old. He used to be the Russian President’s accredited representative in Privolzhsky Federal District. Mikhail Babich is a former paratrooper and a member of the elite commando units. He ruled the pro-Russia Chechen government during the war in that region. Moscow had planned to appoint him Ambassador to Ukraine in 2016 but Kyiv rejected his candidature. Some Ukrainian experts described him as a professional saboteur.

Minsk took time to approve his candidature. It appears likely that Belarus President Aliaksandr Lukashenka eventually gave up and approved Babich during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi two days ago.