Lukashenko calls HC Dinamo Minsk key ideological project

The head of state noted that the materials prepared for the meeting initially contained rather harsh proposed assessments and decisions. However, Aleksandr Lukashenko was not so categorical and called for objective evaluations: “The fact is that last year, HC Dinamo Minsk performed better than ever before. So why call it a failure if the dynamics are positive? I understand that you, as officials, haven’t fully grasped the situation, and you’ve started throwing out scattered assessments and proposals. So, if we look at things objectively, the team performed better than ever.”

“Let’s be honest, this is an important ideological project in our country. The people’s team, as it has been called. This is the key ideological project. Not just talk from our officials. The team played in the championship, and they played well. People came from all over the country to watch them. What more do you need? That’s ideology in action. The team has become the key ideological project, especially in Minsk,” the Belarusian leader said. “But if this is an important project we can rely on, then it must be developed. The fact that the team has made progress is undeniable. No one disputes that. The fact that the team has not achieved what it should have and what was promised is also a fact.”

“Artyom Karkotsky [Director General of HC Dinamo Minsk] was going for the Cup. I quote. I thought: well, now the guys will really let loose and show us some real hockey. If not the Cup, then at least they would put up a decent fight in the playoffs,” the head of state said.

As is known, HC Dinamo Minsk finished the 2025/26 KHL season at the conference semifinal stage (quarterfinals of the playoffs), losing to HC Ak Bars Kazan in a clean sweep 0-4.

Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that the team had promised to win at least the fourth game (playoff series are played to four wins) so that the next game could be held in Minsk rather than away in Kazan. “We were waiting for you in Minsk. But for some reason, you’re still on your way to Minsk,” the Belarusian leader said.

The president also mentioned the ceremony honoring Dinamo Minsk captain Andrei Stas for his 1,000th KHL game. It took place before one of the games against Ak Bars Kazan, which may have disrupted the team’s rhythm at a crucial stage of the tournament. “You were singing songs there, congratulating people at all the wrong moments. You practically ruined the game. Fine, it’s nice for the player, but you confused the team,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.

The head of state continued: “Well, let us attribute this to our own oversights in certain areas. Failures are inevitable everywhere. Nevertheless, we must continue to advance.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko also noted that the Belarusian Ice Hockey Federation is not involved with the main team, and in general, it is hardly visible.

He remarked that playing on the same hockey team as the president does not exempt anyone from delivering results in their direct professional duties: “Playing with Artyom Karkotsky on the same team [Belarus President’s team], coached by [Dmitry] Baskov, is one thing, guys. And Baskov and Artyom know this better than anyone. That’s one thing. But the second thing is results in your actual job. And as far as HC Dinamo Minsk is concerned, I haven’t seen those results. They could have done better.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko also mentioned the work of Dmitry Kvartalnov, the former head coach of HC Dinamo Minsk: “There is much commentary about the coach – ‘the team played well, Dmitry Kvartalnov...’ - as though it were unjust not to have renewed his contract... I am not in a position to judge Dmitry Kvartalnov’s coaching abilities. I have no criticism to offer of him personally. Nevertheless, the coach was responsible for ensuring the team was properly prepared for the playoffs. And the team should not have underperformed in the playoffs. Yet they did.”

The president acknowledges that HC Ak Bars Kazan is indeed a strong team, but he noted that in the final game, Minsk’s Bisons conceded mostly “garbage” goals. “That means this team could have been played against. But they didn’t play. They didn’t bring the last game back to Minsk. They didn’t latch onto their game. They played listlessly. I say this as someone who knows a little about hockey. So there’s no point in lamenting that we didn’t sign some contract. We need a very advanced, competent coach - this was said to the chairman of the supervisory board, and Artyom knows this perfectly well. We need a strong, authoritative coach.”

Using HC Dinamo Minsk as an example, Aleksandr Lukashenko is pushing for a system where everyone fulfills their role in their respective position.

“We need to keep moving forward and select people accordingly. And we need to build the system around that,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized. “Find a place for everyone. There are capable people, people who understand. We can always fire people later. But they must understand that after today’s conversation, in sports, and especially in ice hockey, in HC Dinamo Minsk, there will be no backtracking. The priority is to develop Belarusian hockey. After all, there is significant money involved. We need to get moving. Everything needs to be brought into alignment, a system needs to be built, and if we’re talking about this club, we need to find roles for everyone -from [Internal Affairs Minister Ivan] Kubrakov [who also serves as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Dinamo sports society] down to the players.”

The president said that the State Control Committee had been instructed to conduct an audit at HC Dinamo Minsk. But not to “put everyone in an awkward position and start tearing heads off”, but rather to figure out what is going on there. “The reports paint a rather unflattering picture,” the Belarusian leader noted.

“The question is not about punishing someone or calling them to account. Although there are plenty of shortcomings. The question is how to move forward and how not to lose what we already have,” the head of state said, using HC Dinamo Minsk as an example.

“We need to take a businesslike approach and count the money. The goal is clear: we made it to the quarterfinals [of the Kontinental Hockey League]; tomorrow [in the next season] we need to win the trophy,” the president said.