Vlad Kobets

Vlad Kobets is a Belarusian long time civic pro-democracy activist and policy expert, currently residing in Warsaw in exile. He took part in anti-communist student underground movement in Soviet times. After the Soviet Union collapse, for many years he was involved in promotion of democratic changes in Belarus and development of Belarus’ partnerships with the EU and NATO. Vlad was forced to leave public service after Lukashenka’s state capture.

With the aim to resist autocratic Belarusian course he became one of the founding leaders of Zubr pro-democratic and pro-European movement. Based on democratic resistance experience, Vlad created a manual for civic pro-democracy movements of post-Soviet area and closely worked with activists from Ukraine and Georgia. At presidential elections of 2010 he chaired electoral campaign for pro-democratic candidate. During 2010 crackdown he was detained by KGB and later released on parole. He managed to secretly leave the country, and to continue his work in exile. Since 2014, considering Russia’s hostile actions towards Ukraine Vlad initiated a number of projects on hybrid threats to the sovereignty of Belarus. In 2018 he founded the iSANS and currently serves as its executive director.

In 2005 Vlad Kobets was awarded the Golden Medal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic for his personal contribution to the development of democracy and civil society in the Republic of Belarus.