Stanislav Shushkevich, post-Soviet leader of Belarus, dies

By YURAS KARMANAU
Associated Press

LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — Stanislav Shushkevich, the former leader of Belarus who led it to independence during the breakup of the Soviet Union, has died. He was 87. Shushkevich died early Wednesday, according to his wife. Last month, he was hospitalized for a few days after contracting COVID-19. Shushkevich was a harsh critic of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who succeeded him as the country’s leader in 1994. When Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, Shushkevich criticized Lukashenko for allowing Moscow to amass troops in Belarus. Shushkevich was a former university professor. He was elected to lead the then-republic of Byelorussia in 1991 as speaker of the legislature and participated in declaring the Soviet Union defunct.