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Anatoliy BarankevichMinister of Defense of the Republic of South Ossetia
Date of Birth: 10.12.1959
Country:  Georgia |
Content:
- Anatoly Barankevich Biography
- Early Life and Education
- Military Career
- Role in the Ossetian-Georgian Conflict
- Helicopter Incident
Anatoly Barankevich Biography
Anatoly Konstantinovich Barankevich was born on December 10, 1959, in Kaliningrad. He is currently the Minister of Defense of the unrecognized republic of South Ossetia and a Lieutenant General in the South Ossetian army. He is also a retired Colonel of the Russian Armed Forces.
Early Life and Education
Barankevich completed his education in various military institutions. In 1977, he graduated from the Ussuriysk Suvorov Military School. In 1981, he completed his training at the Far Eastern Combined Arms Command School, and in 1989, he graduated from the Frunze Military Academy.
Military Career
Barankevich served as an officer in the Siberian Military District, Afghanistan, the Soviet Forces Group in Germany, and the Volga and North Caucasus Military Districts. He participated in the first and second Chechen campaigns.
In June 2004, Barankevich retired from the Russian Armed Forces with the rank of Colonel. In the same month, he moved to South Ossetia and was appointed as the Minister of Defense by the President of the unrecognized republic, Eduard Kokoyty, replacing Ibrahim Gassayev.
Role in the Ossetian-Georgian Conflict
During the escalation of the Ossetian-Georgian conflict in the summer of 2004, when Georgian authorities attempted to blockade the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali, Barankevich repeatedly accused Tbilisi of violating peace agreements and attempting to provoke large-scale armed clashes.
In 2005, Barankevich was awarded the rank of Lieutenant General of the South Ossetian army by Kokoyty.
Helicopter Incident
On September 3, 2006, a helicopter of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) was fired upon by the South Ossetian air defense forces. It was later revealed that the Minister of Defense of Georgia, Irakli Okruashvili, was on board the helicopter.
Commenting on this incident, Barankevich stated that the fire on the helicopter was opened in self-defense. The Minister of Defense of the unrecognized republic informed the media that the helicopter had violated the airspace of South Ossetia. Moreover, Barankevich emphasized that the South Ossetian air defense forces opened fire with a machine gun in response, leading to a return fire from the South Ossetian side.
