Sergei Potapenko | |
|---|---|
| Сяргей Патапенка Сергей Потапенко | |
| Deputy Defense Minister of Belarus | |
| Assumed office 12 January 2016 | |
| President | Alexander Lukashenko |
| Preceded by | Mikhail Puzikov |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 March 1961 Rzhavka, Minsk, Belarusian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Soviet Union Belarus |
| Years of service | 1982-present |
| Rank | Major General |
Sergey Vladimirovich Potapenko (Belarusian: Сяргей Уладзіміравіч Патапенка, Siargiej Uladzimiravič Patapienka) is a Belarusian military leader and the current Deputy Minister of Defense.[1] He was born on 14 March 1961 in Rzhavka, a section of the Minsk region of the Byelorussian SSR, which is modern-day Belarus.
In 1982, he graduated from the Ulyanovsk Guards Higher Tank Command School. He served as a commander of a tank platoon.
He graduated from the Malinovsky Military Armoured Forces Academy in 1992. He worked for the 72nd Joint Training Centre on several staff positions and rose through the ranks from being a senior officer of the training division to the head of the training centre.
In 2008, Potapenko was appointed deputy commander of the North-Western Operational Command. He also commanded the Western Operational Command from 2010 to 2015.
In June 2015, he served as the head of the Main Combat Training Directorate of the Belarusian Armed Forces. On 12 January 2016, Potapenko was appointed Deputy Minister of Defence by order of a presidential decree.[2][3][4] It was in this position where he has commanded every Minsk Independence Day Parade since July 2016 on Victors Avenue. He was put under sanctions by Lithuania over his role in suppressing the 2020 Belarusian protests.[5]
References
- ↑ "Сергей Потапенко назначен замминистра обороны Беларуси". Белорусское телеграфное агентство (in Russian). 2016-01-12. Retrieved 2017-11-15.
- ↑ "Sergei Potapenko | Official Website of Belarus MoD". www.mil.by. Retrieved 2017-04-02.
- ↑ "Генерал-майору С.В. Потапенко исполнилось 50 лет - Минское суворовское военное училище". mnsvu.org (in Russian). Retrieved 2017-11-15.
- ↑ "Потапенко Сергей Владимирович | Belarus Profile - директория представителей белорусской политики, гражданского общества и бизнеса". belarusprofile.com (in Russian). Retrieved 2017-11-15.
- ↑ "XIII-3303 Резолюция о санкциях в отношении белорусских должностных лиц, ответственных или принимавших участ..." e-seimas.lrs.lt. Retrieved 2021-05-26.