Lukashenka appoints new information minister

Alyaksandr Lukashenka on Thursday relieved Liliya Ananich of her position as information minister and appointed Alyaksandr Karlyukevich to succeed her.

The 57-year-old Ananich leaves the position after more than three years in the role.

Mr. Karlyukevich, 53, had served as deputy information minister since December 2016.

A graduate of the Lviv Higher Military Political School and the Academy of Public Administration under the aegis of the President of the Republic of Belarus, Mr. Karlyukevich was a staff writer and editor with a number of newspapers.

Between 2006 and 2011, he was the director of Litaratura i Mastatstva (Literature and Art), a now-defunct state-owned media group that controlled several magazines and newspapers.

Mr. Karlyukevich was the editor-in-chief of the government-controlled newspaper Zvyazda in 2011 and 2012 and served as director of the Zvyazda state-owned media group in 2012-2016.