Lieutenant General
Yuri ZHADOBIN
Minister of Defence

    Yuri Zhadobin was born in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine on 14 November 1954.
    Beginning his military service in 1972, he graduated from the Kazan Armour Command School in 1976 and earned a degree at the command department of the Malinovsky Academy of Armoured Forces in 1985.
    From 1976 till 1990, Yuri Zhadobin passed through all the positions from a platoon leader to a regiment's commander.
    In 1990-1999, he occupied various command posts in Belarusian civil defence and the country's internal security troops within the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
    In 1999, Yuri Zhadobin was delegated the powers of Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Commander of Internal Troops.
    Since September 2003 he had been in charge of the Belarusian President's Security Service.
    In July 2007, Yuri Zhadobin was appointed Chairman of the State Security Committee.
    In 2008, he was State Secretary of the country's Security Council.
    On 4 December 2009, Yuri Zhadobin was appointed Minister of Defence, following a relevant President's decree.