Heroes of Belarus. Piotr Prokopovich: humility, creation, responsibility

The Minsk Times project is dedicated to people awarded the highest Hero of Belarus title

On the first Sunday of January, Belarus celebrates a professional holiday — Day of Banking and Financial Workers. Today, we pay tribute to the Hero of Belarus, Piotr Prokopovich, who was honoured with this title during his 13-year tenure at the National Bank. Piotr Prokopovich is regarded as one of the ‘key ideologists’ of the current economic policy of the state. He dedicated many years of his working life to the country’s banking system, and the current ability of Belarusian banks to successfully withstand unprecedented external pressure is partly due to the efforts made during his leadership at the National Bank.

AWARDS AND TITLES

• By Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 135 dated March 1st, 2006, Piotr Prokopovich was awarded the Hero of Belarus title for significant contribution to ensuring sustainable economic growth in Belarus and enhancing the living standards of the population.   
• Order of the Fatherland 3rd class  
• Order of the Red Banner of Labour  
• Order of Honour  
• Honoured Builder of the BSSR  
• Honorary сitizen of Brest and Pruzhany District  
• Honorary Doctor of the Polesie State University  



Piotr Prokopovich was born in the German-occupied territory on November 3rd, 1942, in the village of Rovno (Brest Region), but soon moved with his family to the village of Tomashovka. He was the top student in his class. At school, he shared the desk with the first Belarusian cosmonaut, Piotr Klimuk, with whom he maintained a strong friendship for life. His classmates regarded him as the smartest student and, due to his outstanding intellect, nicknamed him ‘the Professor’. 
After graduating from school, Piotr Prokopovich completed his studies at Dnepropetrovsk Civil Engineering Institute. He began his career as an ordinary bricklayer and rose to become the general director of a large association, heading the Brest Region inter-collective farm construction organisation. Thousands of square metres of housing and hundreds of industrial facilities were built with his direct involvement.
From 1996 to 1998, Piotr Prokopovich served as Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus, and then as First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus. He was also a member of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly. From 1998 to 2011, he was Chairman of the Board of Belarus’ National Bank.

Belarus’ National Bank

The modern banking system of Belarus is largely a result of the work and efforts of Piotr Prokopovich. During his tenure as Chairman of the Board, banking cards became commonplace. He was the first to demonstrate that the Belarusian rouble could be stable, the banking system of Belarus could be sustainable, and Belarusian banknotes could feature just one or two digits without excessive zeros.
In recognition of his significant contribution to ensuring consistent economic growth in Belarus and enhancing the living standards of the country’s population, Piotr Prokopovich was awarded the Hero of Belarus title by Decree No. 135 dated March 1st, 2006.

Banknotes issued in 2009 featured a facsimile signature of Piotr Prokopovich, who held the position of Chairman 
of the Board of the National Bank at that time

Sergei Dubkov, Chairman of the Board of BSB Bank, who served as an assistant to Piotr Prokopovich for five years, recalled, “Piotr Prokopovich was educated as a builder. Yes, people used to criticise him for this. However, a builder is primarily a creator. Therefore, Piotr Prokopovich created on his own and taught his subordinates to do the same. Many projects in our country that emerged during that period — and which we now regard as commonplace — were initiated or created by him personally. Piotr Petrovich was a true inspirer of the well-known Castles of Belarus programme. Thanks to his endeavours, the Ruzhany Palace, the Puslovsky Palace, and other castles and palaces are being restored. When the need arose to rehabilitate agricultural enterprises, the National Bank created the Machulishchi agricultural holding company, which, at the time, was the major agricultural holding in the country. If we look at the leading milk producers today, we will see that the overwhelming majority originated from Machulishchi. The establishment of the Forestry Ministry was also down to Piotr Prokopovich, who believes that forests are a national treasure. The Polesie State University is another brainchild of Piotr Petrovich. His interests were diverse, but he achieved success each time. True, he chose tools that may not have perfectly met certain standards, yet he took full responsibility.” (from the book Heroes of Belarus by Nikolai Machekin)
In 2011, the Belarusian economy was experiencing difficult times. The global financial crisis had reached Belarus. On March 17th, Piotr Prokopovich made the following statement, “As long as I am Chairman of the Board of the National Bank, there will never be a one-time devaluation.”
But devaluation did occur.
“At nine in the morning, Piotr Petrovich convened the Board of the National Bank and presented the situation — the demand for currency far exceeded supply. Naturally, the situation needed to be resolved somehow. Everyone understood that devaluation would deal a serious blow to the state’s economy and political stability. It would inevitably lead to misunderstandings among the public and the authorities. The Chairman of the Board of the National Bank, who had considerable authority, had one last card to play — a mental intervention. This is when a person stakes their reputation on the line. A reputation built over many years, a reputation of a Hero of Belarus. If this tool works correctly, a certain pause appears. During this time, even a brief moment, a well-considered economic and political solution could be found. Understanding that the situation was becoming severe and this temporary pause was necessary, Piotr Petrovich made such a statement. The ability to take on responsibility, sacrificing health and reputation, is characteristic of Piotr Petrovich,” recounted Sergei Dubkov.
Piotr Petrovich himself took this very seriously. In April, he underwent a complicated heart surgery. Later, he resigned due to health issues. 
A year later, Piotr Prokopovich returned to the Government as an advisor to the President, and subsequently took on the role of Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus. In 2015, Piotr Prokopovich was elected Chairman of the Supervisory Board of BPS-Sberbank. At the end of March 2021, he left this position and is currently retired.

Polesie State University — a brainchild of Piotr Prokopovich — is the largest scientific centre in the region         belta

Based on materials of sb.by, belta.by and Heroes of Belarus by Nikolai Machekin