Belarusian transport minister dies at 46

Belarusian Minister of Transport and Communications Aleksey Avramenko died suddenly on July 4, the state news agency Belta reported on July 5, referencing information from the ministry.

The agency did not comment on the cause of death.

Avramenko was born in 1977 in Minsk and has worked in road construction and maintenance, consequently holding several positions at the Transport Ministry.

He has served as a deputy minister since 2013 and then as the first deputy minister since 2016. Finally, Avramenko has held the ministerial seat since 2019.

The late minister was placed under international sanctions. In his position as the head of transport, he bore responsibility for the illegal diverting of passenger flight FR4978 to Minsk airport on May 23, 2021, leading to the capture of the oppositionist journalist Raman Pratasevich.