Vladzimir Astapenka

Vladzimir Astapenka was born on . He studied Moscow State Institute of International Relations from 1980 to 1985. In 2000, he obtained his Candidate of Sciences degree (equivalent to a PhD) in international law for his thesis on "Evolution of the European Union in the light of the provisions of the Amsterdam Treaty of 1999". ==University administration==

In 2002 and 2003, as Vice-President for International Relations of Belarusian State University (BSU), Astapenka promoted Belarusian interests in relation to European transport links and the 2004 enlargement of the European Union. He has also held the positions of Vice Rector and Head of the Chair of International Private and European Law at BSU. ==Diplomat==

Prior to 1991, Astapenka started work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the Third Secretary of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. and then Representative of the Cabinet for International and European Cooperation. In October 2022, he was appointed as head of the Mission for Democratic Belarus in Brussels. Aims of the Mission include hosting Belarusian non-governmental organizations and representatives of the Belarusian diaspora and taking on the role of "Free Belarus". , the Mission aimed to obtain diplomatic status with Belgian authorities. Astapenka was a speaker at the October 2022 1st European Political Community Summit held in Prague. When asked about Belarusian involvement in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine in December 2022, Astapenka stated that direct Belarusian military involvement in attacking Ukraine would be resisted by Belarusian soldiers and citizens, and risked destabilising Lukashenko's hold on power. Astapenka predicted that if Russia lost its war in Ukraine, then Lukashenko's power would be greatly weakened. ==Legal case==

On 21 December 2022, special proceedings (a trial in absentia) began against Astapenka at a court in Minsk, with charges under Chapter 1, Article 14 and Chapter 3, Article 210 of the Criminal Code of Belarus. In early 2023, he was sentenced in absentia to five years in prison (the sentence was immediately reduced by one year under an amnesty due to the National Unity Day) and a fine of 18,500 Belarusian rubles. ==References==