US embassy cable - 05MINSK1271

C O N F I D E N T I A L MINSK 001271 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT ALSO FOR INR/B 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/17/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PINR, BO 
SUBJECT: INTERVIEW WITH LUKASHENKO'S WIFE 
 
Classified by Charge Constance Phlipot for Reasons 1.4 B & 
D. 
 
1. (U) Summary:  An independent newspaper interviewed 
President Lukashenko's separated wife, Galina, on September 
29.  His wife spoke of how the two met and their short time 
living together as husband and wife.  Galina claimed she 
and Lukashenko are still legally married and that it was 
her decision to stay in the village rather than live with 
her husband in Minsk.  Galina spoke of her children and 
grandchildren and life as Belarus' first lady.  The 
reporter who gave the interview attempted to gain personal 
information about Galina and Lukashenko's personal 
relationship and succeeded in some aspects.  The reporter 
noted that throughout the interview, Lukashenko's wife 
spoke with an air of melancholy about her.  End Summary. 
 
The Story of How They Met 
------------------------- 
 
2. (SBU) The September 29 edition of the independent 
newspaper Komsamolskaya Pravda (KP), Belarus' second 
largest newspaper, featured an interview with President 
Lukashenko's wife, Galina Radionovna.  Born in 1955 in the 
Bilayski region of Belarus, Galina moved with her sister 
and mother, Elana Fyodorovna, to the latter's birthplace in 
the Shklov region after Galina finished the seventh grade. 
[The article insinuates that Galina's father was not 
around.] Galina studied with Aleksandr Lukashenko, who she 
affectionately referred to as "Sasha," at the local school 
in Shklov. 
 
Courtship and Marriage 
---------------------- 
 
3. (U) Galina bragged to KP how handsome Lukashenko was and 
how all the young schoolgirls had crushes on him.  In her 
opinion, she was lucky to catch such a good man.  Galina 
spoke of how Lukashenko would visit her at her house in 
Alexandria, which was four kilometers away, in rainy, 
snowy, or blizzard-like conditions. 
 
4. (U) After high school graduation, Sasha enrolled at the 
Mogilev Institute as a history major.  One year later, 
Galina enrolled at the same institute.  In 1975, after 
finishing her third academic year and after Sasha received 
his diploma, the two married.  According to Galina, her 
mother, who worked as a director of Belarusian language and 
literature studies at the school in Shklov, was not pleased 
with the marriage since Galina still had one more year of 
college.  Her mother, however, did not protest.  Galina 
reminisced about their first years of marriage.  They were 
not rich, as Galina pointed out, but did not mind spending 
their money on books and had a good house library.  She 
commented on how much she and Sasha enjoyed reading. 
 
Troubled Times 
-------------- 
 
5. (U) Lukashenko joined the army when Galina finished the 
university and shortly thereafter they had their first son, 
Viktor (Vitya).  Galina admitted that life became difficult 
after her son's birth.  Sasha had a good job and she was 
trying to find work as a teacher in one of the local 
Mogilev schools.  Their son Viktor, however, came down with 
an infectious disease and Galina reportedly spent one year 
nursing him back to health in a hospital.  In the article, 
Galina described it as a horrible time and remembered how 
often she had to run to the pharmacy for medication.  She 
noted that after awhile, she forgot all about a normal life 
and did not even notice when holidays came around. 
 
6. (U) A doctor told the Lukashenkos that if they wanted to 
have a healthy son, they would have to move out of the city 
to a small village.  Therefore, Sasha and Galina moved to 
Rizhkovichi.  As Galina noted, Sasha quit thinking of his 
career and focused his time on "conditioning" and 
rehabilitating his son while Galina took a job at the local 
preschool.  Eventually, Viktor regained his health. 
 
Two Separate Lives 
------------------ 
 
7. (U) Once she finished speaking, the KP journalist 
attempted to ask Galina personal questions about her 
marriage to the President.  First, KP asked if she was 
legally (with the stress on "legally") married to President 
Lukashenko, to which her response was "of course."  The 
couple did not marry in a church because, according to 
Galina, that was a time when a church wedding was not 
allowed or accepted.  She admitted she would not have been 
against it, but today she does not know how her husband 
would look upon a church wedding. 
 
8. (U) Galina told KP that it was her decision to stay in 
Rizhkovichi when her husband became President.  However, 
she did mention that Sasha did not try to persuade her to 
move with him to Minsk.  Galina would not tell the reporter 
why she decided to stay in the village.  According to 
Galina, Sasha does not visit her much, but she is often in 
Minsk.  When KP asked if she had ever been to the 
president's residence, she replied "of course", but she was 
not the "woman of the house" because she did not live 
there.  Galina told KP that like any other husband, 
Lukashenko materially supports her.  She told the reporter 
that she still loves her husband (though she laughed when 
asked) and is not offended that she does not live in the 
capital, claiming that she had chosen this life. 
 
The Hassles of Being the First Lady 
----------------------------------- 
 
9. (U) Galina spoke of how at the beginning of her 
husband's tenure as president, people used to give her 
letters of request to pass on to him.  She said it was 
mainly neighbors at first, complaining about unfair land 
divisions and other minor problems.  Now, many non-locals 
and strangers send her letters hoping that she will pass 
them on to her husband.  Galina apparently reads every 
letter and determines which ones are important enough to be 
sent to the president.  Recently, a mother asked Galina to 
help her with her son who was apparently framed for a 
crime.  Galina helped the woman and suggested that the 
authorities give the boy's case a second review. 
 
10. (U) The first lady told KP that she decides the 
domestic questions, like what will be for dinner or what 
shirt to buy while Sasha makes the serious household 
decisions.  [Comment: This statement is odd since 
Lukashenko appears never to be in the same house with his 
wife.]  She never inquires into his government affairs and 
it has always been that way.  Galina admitted that she was 
a very yielding wife and would always be one. 
 
The Lukashenko Family 
--------------------- 
 
11. (C) Galina's sons Viktor and Dima now live in Drozhdi, 
the same residential neighborhood as their father.  [Note: 
The Drozhdi neighborhood is a complex of million-dollar 
homes where the president and his cronies all live.  It was 
also the residential neighbor where foreign ambassadors 
lived until Lukashenko evicted them in 1997.]  Viktor 
graduated from college with a degree in international 
affairs and, according to Galina, works as a presidential 
aide to his father. [Comment: It is rumored that Viktor is 
in charge of his father's security forces and/or acts as an 
advisor for the presidential administration.  He was 
appointed to the deputy general director of the government 
owned telecommunications company BeST in early 2005 and has 
worked as the deputy head of the scientific production 
association AGAT.  He is also rumored to be a member of the 
GOB's Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation and 
Export Control as well as a member of the State Industrial 
Committee (military exports), playing a role in arms sales 
to the Middle East and Asia.]  Dima is a lawyer by trade 
and is now the chair of the Presidential Sport Club. 
Galina has three granddaughters, Viktoria, Anastasia and 
Daria, and one grandson, Aleksandr. 
 
12. (U) According to the first lady, the president loves 
his grandchildren and "melts" whenever they are around.  He 
spoils them more than he ever did his own boys.  Galina 
visits her boys' homes on the holidays and "enjoys" how 
they live.  She adores her daughter-in-laws and is happy 
that her sons help their wives around the house.  Galina 
commented that while her husband was often "caught up in 
work", her sons learned to help her around the house.  They 
can reportedly repair anything and know how to scythe and 
plow. 
 
13. (U) Now that her children have grown and moved to 
Minsk, Galina is alone, but she does not mind.  She reads a 
lot and takes long walks through the woods with her sheep 
dog Balu (named after a classic animated character) and 
feeds the many stray dogs that seem to hang around her 
house. 
 
The Journalist's Impressions 
---------------------------- 
 
14. (U) For many years, KP has tried to get an interview 
with Lukashenko's wife but had always been unsuccessful, 
until now.  The reporter noted that Galina's house was the 
best in the village, but failed in comparison to the homes 
of the rich new-Belarusians, including that of her husband. 
Galina also mentioned in the interview that she works as 
the head regional specialist for health rehabilitation and 
sanatorium-resort recuperation, and because of the large 
workload, is always tired but has trouble sleeping at 
nights.  The reporter commented that even though the 
interview went smooth, Galina's eyes looked very sad, even 
when she laughed. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
15. (C) The KP expose gave a rare look into the mysterious 
relationship between Lukashenko and his wife.  Largely kept 
out of the public spotlight, Galina admitted in her 
interview that people do not recognize her when she attends 
the theaters and events in Minsk.  The article featured old 
pictures of her and a skinny, teenage Lukashenko with the 
beginnings of his infamous mustache.  However, other than 
photos of the young couple and of their wedding day, no 
other photos of the two appear in newspapers.  It is widely 
known that Lukashenko has a mistress and an illegitimate 
child in Minsk.  Allegedly, the woman in Lukashenko's life 
is the daughter of the Minister of Health and works as 
Lukashenko's "personal nurse," handling his medications. 
 
16. (C) The goal of KP's interview with Galina, as 
indicated by the text and questions, was to show 
Lukashenko's odd (and even poor) relationship with his 
wife.  On the online version at 
www.minsk.kp.ru/2005/09/29/doc84177/, the article is 
followed by comments from readers, many of whom lambasted 
the president for hiding his wife in a village while 
sharing a home with another woman.  Others praised Galina 
for sticking to traditional values of marriage, even though 
her husband had done her wrong.  It is surprising that 
Lukashenko allowed his wife to give the interview at all. 
Despite Galina's and possibly Lukashenko's intentions, the 
article subversively portrayed Lukashenko as a poor husband 
who has rarely been around for his wife. 
 
PHLIPOT