Jazep Jakaŭlevič Varonka[a] (4 April 1891 – 4 June 1952) was the first Chairman of the People's Secretariat (i.e. head of government) of the Belarusian Democratic Republic from 21 February to May 1918.

[2] From 1909 to 1914, Varonka studied at the Saint Petersburg State University and published various Belarusian and Russian newspapers.

When Soviet Russia began its westward offensive of 1918–19 and captured Minsk, the government of the Belarusian Democratic Republic went into exile.

[3] Varonka moved to Vilnius, where he established contacts with the Lithuanian government, which at the outbreak of the Lithuanian–Soviet War evacuated to Kaunas.

[4] After the elections to the Constituent Assembly of Lithuania in May 1920, Varonka was replaced by more pro-Lithuanian Dominik Semashko as the minister.