He helped formalize the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, led his country until 1994, then became a vocal critic of his successor, Aleksandr G. Lukashenko.
The current Russian invasion of Ukraine could have been avoided, and it demonstrates a failure that the U.S. leadership couldn't effectively communicate with its Russian counterpart, according to Gen. Michael Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general who briefly served as the National Security Advisor to former President Donald Trump.