President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko personally inspected the combat readiness of the Armed Forces. The Head of State visited the 227th combined arms training ground in the Borisov district as part of a snap inspection, BELTA correspondent reports.
Upon arrival, the Head of State heard a report on the progress of the combat readiness inspection of formations and military units, conducted according to the plan of the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff. The Minister of Defence, Viktor Khrenin, who was only informed of the President's unexpected visit at 7 a.m., provided details. Currently, this inspection is being conducted in parallel, without duplicating the tasks set within the framework of the snap inspection by the President and the State Security Council Secretariat.
The Minister reported, in particular, that the 6th separate guards mechanized brigade stationed in Grodno has been brought to a heightened state of combat readiness. The brigade has never been inspected on such a scale before. "The brigade will be fully mobilised to wartime strength. As of today, reservists have been called up to the reserve regiment of the Western Operational Command," said the head of the military department. "In accordance with the new methodology, based on the experience and problematic issues we identified during the inspections of the 19th and 11th brigades, we saw the need for a preemptive call-up of reserve officers and training for them."
Last week, such a preemptive call-up of 400 reserve officers was carried out.
"Were all of them called up, or were some not found?" Alexander Lukashenko clarified.
"All of them – 100%. By the way, they note that people are now more willing. There were fewer people trying to slip away, to find some excuse. There were no appeals at all," Viktor Khrenin remarked.
On this matter, Alexander Lukashenko concluded: "This means people take the call-up seriously. Well, finally, they understood that this is training: and if there is a war – we don't know how to do anything."
Alexander Lukashenko also inquired about the preliminary results and impressions of the first stage of the snap combat readiness inspection, which is being conducted on his orders. "The army is capable of fighting. In general, all the brigade commanders who received your order clearly understood the task and made decisions to march to the designated areas. All marches were completed, and no one was lost during the marches," reported the State Secretary of the Security Council, Alexander Volfovich.
According to him, there were isolated cases of malfunctions. However, the vehicles on the march were repaired by their own efforts, without involving units of central subordination. "Two or three vehicles arrived in the area with a delay of an hour to an hour and a half. This did not affect the overall combat mission of a particular military unit. There are issues with march discipline, with some calculations. But these are training issues that we will analyze and conduct a detailed review," the State Secretary of the Security Council noted.
The Head of State visited the battalion's command and observation post in the concentration area, where he communicated with the military personnel and familiarized himself with the progress of the inspection measures. Among other things, the conversation touched upon how the soldiers' daily life is organised.
The President emphasised the importance of conducting such inspections to maintain a high level of troop training. "Everyone is subject to inspection. Even the Minister of Defence and the State Secretary. There are people who also observe them and report to me," Alexander Lukashenko noted. "It is winter now, so we will subject everyone to inspection."
"Guys, you must learn your trade. Absolutely. Those who are not prepared are doomed. No one will ask us when and how to fight. On the contrary, they will look for an opportunity to attack us unexpectedly. I am not saying it will happen tomorrow. But I cannot say that it will never happen. Therefore, we are preparing," the Belarusian leader remarked, speaking about the need to be ready for any turn of events.
The Head of State also visited a dugout where the personnel are accommodated. Although the conditions are field-based, they are more than acceptable in the event of a military conflict. "You have a resort here," Alexander Lukashenko noted, recalling how during his service he had to "fight" in exercises and in harsher conditions.
During the visit to the training ground, issues of equipping military formations with modern equipment and approaches to resolving personnel matters were also discussed. The President stressed that soldiers must be provided with everything necessary to perform their tasks.
"Learn, learn. Learn just in case. If you can do everything, you will live," the Head of State advised the military personnel.President at the training ground visited a firing range where training firings from a grenade launcher and automatic weapons were taking place. Training firings from armored personnel carrier weapons were also planned, but dense fog made adjustments. However, even in wartime, it would be impractical to deploy this equipment under such conditions, as targets are not visible.
"We have to wait then. Wait, conduct according to the plan. What are we going to shoot into the void..." - said the head of state.
Summing up, Alexander Lukashenko noted that he wanted to see firsthand how well the troops were prepared for combat operations.
"Well, there's not much joy, let's be frank. They shoot, they see the targets. Let's consider it so-so," said the head of state. "They are nervous, of course, - the President is standing behind. I understand there is a certain nervousness. Well, it's hit or miss - somewhere they hit, somewhere they missed."
It is important to note that not a specially selected team was involved in the firings, but servicemen according to the list, regardless of their service term and experience.
"Let them keep working. We will see how to complicate your life. We will complicate your life now. So don't relax. Well, and from the company commanders, of course, we will skin them like men," the President added, addressing the Minister of Defense.
As reported by BELTA, a large-scale inspection of the Armed Forces, by order of the President of Belarus, began on January 16. The primary goal is to see an objective picture, the real state of the troops, and to assess the actions of the servicemen. That is precisely why the events are sudden in nature. A key feature of the inspection is its organization. The head of state brings military units to combat readiness, bypassing the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff.
The President signs a "secret" order detailing the plan for the upcoming inspection. State Secretary of the Security Council Alexander Wolfovich receives a sealed package with the document, after which he travels to the military unit designated by the head of state. By order of the Belarusian leader, the Chairman of the State Control Committee Vasily Gerasimov was also involved in conducting the inspection.
Alexander Lukashenko keeps the inspection under personal control, regularly hearing reports from the State Secretary of the Security Council.
The Head of State, at a meeting on February 3, explained the system by which the inspection was structured as follows: "I trust everyone. But this is a snap inspection conducted by the Commander-in-Chief. And I want to see how the General Staff and the Ministry of Defence will act in this snap inspection."
The first unit to be inspected was a technical support military unit – one of the largest military units of the Armed Forces, where various types of armoured vehicles and military equipment are stored. Among the military units that underwent inspection were the 19th Separate Guards Mechanised Brigade, the 72nd Guards Joint Training Centre, the 38th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade, the 103rd Vitebsk Guards Airborne Brigade, the 120th Separate Guards Mechanised Brigade, and the 11th Separate Guards Mechanised Brigade.
The inspection takes into account the experience of combat operations in modern military conflicts. Its results will form the basis for improving the Belarusian army.