Lukashenko Appoints Vladimir Karanik Chairman of National Academy of Sciences of Belarus

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has appointed Vladimir Karanik as the Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, reports BELTA.

Prior to this appointment, Vladimir Karanik served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus.

"Vladimir Stepanovich has become a central figure among us. I spoke with you over the phone. Thank you for enduring these intricate personnel negotiations. We truly need — and I mean this sincerely — to elevate science to a higher plane, all the while being mindful not to offend the esteemed academics and the Academy itself. We need young, promising, yet experienced individuals. Among all the candidates proposed to me, I chose you. I am confident that the scientific community will welcome you warmly. We must take this into account, and I do so myself. You have worked as a government member — as a minister. Most importantly, you gained valuable experience and knowledge working as a governor. The people in Grodno Region held you in high regard," said Alexander Lukashenko.

"Science is an essential element for us. Without it, we simply cannot move forward," emphasized the Belarusian leader.

Vladimir Stepanovich Karanik was born in 1973 in Grodno. He graduated in 1996 from the Grodno State Medical Institute. In 2010 and 2014, he underwent retraining at the Belarusian Medical Postgraduate Education Academy.

From 1996 to 1997, he worked as a resident at the N.N. Alexandrov Research Institute of Oncology and Medical Radiology.

Between 1997 and 2001, he was a junior researcher in the thoracic oncology department at the same institute.

From 2001 to 2002, he continued as a researcher in the thoracic oncology department.

From 2002 to 2011, he served as a thoracic surgeon in the oncological thoracic department of the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Oncology and Medical Radiology, and later as the head of the same department.

In 2011, he became the Chief Physician of the Minsk City Oncology Dispensary, a position he held until 2019.

In 2019, he was appointed Minister of Health.

From 2020 to 2025, he served as the Chairman of the Grodno Regional Executive Committee.

In March 2025, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister. Since May 2025, he has been serving as the Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.

He holds a Candidate of Medical Sciences degree and was awarded the Order of the Fatherland, III Degree, in 2020.