[5] In 2000, he obtained his Candidate of Sciences degree (equivalent to a PhD) in international law for his thesis on "Evolution of the European Union in the light of the provisions of the Amsterdam Treaty of 1999".
[3] Prior to 1991, Astapenka started work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the Third Secretary of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic.
"[2] In May 2021, when chairing a panel discussion organised by members of the European Parliament, Astapenka described Lukashenko as governing with a "dictatorial style" with an "illegitimate regime ... waging a war against the people of Belarus[,] throwing hundreds of peaceful protesters to jails and terrorizing the population.
"[11] Astapenka was appointed deputy head of National Anti-Crisis Management, an opposition group aiming to coordinate a Belarusian transition to democracy.
[12][3] In September 2022, Astapenka was appointed Deputy Representative for Foreign Affairs of the Belarusian United Transitional Cabinet.