Mikalai Mikalayevič Karpiankou (, , Nikolay Nikolayevich Karpenkov, born on 6 September 1968 in Minsk) is a state security official of the government of Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus. He is a Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Belarus and the incumbent Commander of Internal Troops of Belarus.
Biography Born in Minsk, Karpiankou graduated from the Minsk Suvorov Military School in 1985 and a Tank Military School in Ulyanovsk, Russia, in 1989.Karpiankou's bio at the official website of the Minsk Suvorov Military School
After several years of military service, Karpiankou enrolled to work for the Interior Ministry of the newly independent Belarus.
For some time between mid-1990s and 2003 he served in the Security Service of president Alexander Lukashenko.
Between 2003 and 2010 Karpiankou was commander of Almaz, a special unit of the Interior Ministry. In this role he reportedly participated in political repressions against opponents of Lukashenko, notably during the 2006 Belarusian presidential election.Казулін патрабуе вызваліць Радзівіла [Kazulin demands a release of Radzivil] – Radio Svaboda, 10 March 2006«Спачатку ім плацілі штодня, але ўжо няма грошай». Былы намесьнік камандзіра баявой групы «Алмаза» аб працы сілавікоў ["At first, they paid them on a daily basis but now they have no money". Former deputy commander of Almaz battle squad about the work of the state security] – Radio Svaboda, 11 November 2020Козулина избивали бойцы спецподразделения по борьбе с терроризмом [ Alyaksandr Kazulin was beaten by soldiers of a special counter-terrorist unit] – Belarusian Partisan, 29 May 2006 From 2010 till 2014 Karpiankou held various positions in the Interior Ministry. In 2014 he headed GUBOPiK, another unit of the Interior Ministry. On 19 November 2020 Karpiankou was appointed Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Commander of Internal Troops of Belarus.
Role during the 2020–2021 protests
Karpiankou was noticed among state security officials who personally participated in the crackdown of mass protests that followed a controversial presidential election. On 6 September 2020, Karpiankou smashed the glass door of a café in Minsk while pursuing protesters fleeing from him. It was arguably the only glass window broken during protests with hundreds of thousands of protesters participating."Led by their commander Mikalai Karpiankou, the operatives of the Main Directorate for Organized Crime and Corruption (GUBOPiK) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs became notorious for holding a real hunt for peaceful demonstrators. Karpiankou personally smashed the glass door of a cafe in the center of Minsk, where the demonstrators were hiding. It was the only shop glass broken since Belarusian protests erupted on August 9." // Tsikhanouskaya looks to recognize GUBOPiK and OMON as terrorist organizations – European Radio for Belarus, 23 November 2020 He was also identified among security officials who kidnapped and tortured another protester in Minsk.Глава ГУБОПиКа Карпенков дубинкой разносит витрину кафе [GUBOPiK chief Karpiankou smashes the window of a café with a police baton]A New Video of Head of GUBOPIK Breaking Glass in Minsk Cafe – Charter'97, 15 September 2020Видео жесткого задержания в кофейне O’Petit: силовики в гражданском разбили дверь и достали людей [Video of a violent arrest in the O’Petit café: plain-clothes policemen broke the doors and got the people]МАТЕРИАЛЫ ПО ЗАЯВЛЕНИЮ О ПРЕСТУПЛЕНИИ № 7352-6073-4883-8822 — Похищение и применение пыток к Хорошину М. Л. [Crime report registration No 7352-6073-4883-8822 – kidnapping and torture of M.L. Kharoshyn] – United Crime Registration Database
In November 2020, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya initiated the recognition of GUBOPiK, the unit led by Karpiankou, as a terrorist organization for its participation in police brutality.Initiation of the process of declaring the Main Directorate for combating organized crime (GUBOPiK) and OMON terrorist organizations – Tsikhanouskaya official website, 20 November 2020
On 15 January 2021, Belarusian independent media published an audio recording of Karpiankou allegedly speaking to interior troops and making shocking comments on the ongoing protests.
Karpiankou commented on the death of Aliaksandr Tarajkouski, a protester murdered by police:
“Tarajkouski, a drunk and an idiot. Of course, he was killed by the rubber bullet that hit him on the chest. He stood there in a T-shirt and I think it wouldn’t get stuck on the other side.”
Referring to an order from Lukashenka personally, Karpiankou instructed the troops to be ready to kill protesters:
“as president said, if someone’s pushing toward you – use your weapon, it comes out. Non-lethal. Point-blank: legs, stomach, balls. So that he understands what he’s done after he regains consciousness. Just inflict some injuries of some description… Cripple him, mutilate him, kill him. Use your weapon and shoot him right in the forehead, right in the face, right in the point of no return to the condition he was in before this.
If they resuscitate him, alright then. He’ll be missing half his brain, well, good riddance. Because, basically, all those who take to the streets at the moment to participate in the ‘rail war’, it turns out, those who block the roads, attack the police, throw Molotov cocktails – they are terrorists. These are superfluous people in our country. And a lot, a lot was said about this in the little consultation president had convened.”
He also spoke of the government's plans to establish a concentration camp for protesters:
“A database is being created. In this database, those arrested for the second time, must stay in it. The assignment: to develop and build a camp, build a camp, but not for prisoners of war or even the interned, but a camp for the especially sharp-hoofed, for resettlement. And surround it with barbed wire along the perimeter. Set up two premises: a floor with a furnace, and a floor for feeding, to make sure they work. But they must be kept there, until it all calms down. The head of state covers us from all angles in terms of using firearms.”Belarusian Auschwitz: Karpiankou announced the creation of a camp for political prisoners – Voice of Belarus (translated from Tut.by), 15.01.2021
On 2 February 2021, TUT.BY got the results of the phonoscopic analysis of the record made public by BYPOL. Talks on the killing of Alexander Taraikovsky and more are on the record. The expert test made it clear that the Nikolai Karpenkov's voice is on the record and there are no signs of changes made to it.
In April 2021, Karpiankou voiced public threats to exiled members of the opposition in an interview on Belarus state television.«Мы их найдем и зачистим». Замглавы МВД Карпенков рассказал, как будут поступать с «кровожадной оппозицией» ["We will find them and wipe them out". Deputy head of the Interior Ministry Karpiankou told what the officials will do to the "bloodthirsty opposition"] (in Russian) – Tut.by, 29 April 2021
International sanctions On 20 November 2020, Karpiankou was included in sanctions lists of LatviaForeign Minister places 26 citizens of the Republic of Belarus on persona non grata list – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, official website and Estonia.The sanctions of the Government of the Republic in view of the situation in Belarus – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, official website
On 21 June 2021, the U.S. Treasury has added Karpiankou to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons ListBelarus Designations; Issuance of Belarus General License 3 and related Frequently Asked Questions – U.S. Department of Treasury, 21 June 2021 with the following motivation: Mikalai Karpiankou (Karpiankou) is Belarus’ Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and the current Commander of the Internal Troops. In his previous role as head of GUBOPiK, Karpiankou personally led members of GUBOPiK in pursuing and beating peaceful protesters in Minsk, the capital city of Belarus. In January 2021, a leaked audio recording allegedly captured Karpiankou discussing plans to build an internment camp for detained protesters and advising security services to shoot protesters in the face and genitals.Treasury and International Partners Condemn Ongoing Human Rights Abuses and Erosion of Democracy in Belarus – U.S. Department of Treasury, 06/21/2021
He was also sanctioned by the European Union,COUNCIL IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2021/997 — EUR-Lex, 21 June 2021 the United Kingdom, Switzerland,Searching for subjects of sanctions and Canada.
In January 2025, Canada imposed sanctions against Igor Karpenkov and Irina Karpenkova, the son and wife of Nikolai Karpenkov, respectively.
See also Human rights issues related to the suppression of the 2020 Belarusian protests
References