Serving the Fatherland

In civilian life, Ivan Shestakov and Dmitry Kursav are students of the Faculty of Mathematics at the P. Masherov Vitebsk State University.

In civilian life, Ivan Shestakov and Dmitry Kursav are students of the Faculty of Mathematics at the P. Masherov Vitebsk State University. They primarily work with formulas, numbers, and mathematical models. Now, at the Zaslon training ground, they are mastering a different formula – the formula for peace and security for their native Belarus. Over 70 years of peace, we have begun to forget the horrors of war, hunger, and hardship. Three generations of Belarusians have grown up without hearing explosions and the wail of bombs, without hiding from bullets and shrapnel, without the fear that they or their loved ones could be killed, their property looted, or their sacred sites desecrated. However, recent events in the world, and especially in Ukraine, show how fragile peace can be and how important it is to ensure it steadfastly.

Napoleon Bonaparte said that if a nation does not want to feed its army, it will sooner or later be forced to feed a foreign one. Therefore, one of the main guarantees of peace on our land is a combat-ready Armed Forces, to the development of which considerable financial resources, human and material assets are allocated. One of the forms of replenishing personnel is through military departments in higher education institutions. Young people study, obtain civilian specialities needed in the national economy, education, social protection, and medicine, and in parallel, they also acquire theoretical knowledge in military affairs. The culmination of their training is practical exercises at military units and training grounds. It is not uncommon for young people, after graduating from civilian universities, to decide to link their destinies with the Armed Forces and become officers.

At the recent training session, 77 people from the military department of Vitebsk State University were mastering military skills. They were training for specialities such as platoon commanders of motorized riflemen, reconnaissance scouts, artillerymen, and engineer sappers. The classes were intensive, conducted at several training stations. At the first station, the group had to engage a target with blank rounds from an assault rifle and hit it with a training grenade. The second training station was dedicated to pistol shooting. Officers of the Belarusian army have personal service weapons – Makarov pistols. Naturally, they must also know how to use them.

Third and fourth places were taken by machine gun and sniper rifle shooting. The guys later shared their experiences of the recoil when firing these weapons, especially the machine gun. However, it is not frightening; on the contrary, self-confidence and belief in one's own abilities gradually emerge, assuring that if necessary, you, like every man, as your grandfathers and great-grandfathers once did, can join the ranks of defenders and prevent enemies from entering your native land.

The final exercise was firing an anti-tank grenade launcher. Such a weapon can inflict significant damage on any armoured vehicle.

I noticed that every soldier (and I refer to the defenders of the Fatherland precisely in this way, not otherwise) carries a soldier's kit bag over their shoulder, familiar from war films and newsreels. I asked what modern soldiers carry in them. The guys replied that they carry what is needed at the training ground on such a sunny, hot day: a shelter-half for lying on the ground, a change of clothes, and water in a military canteen – nothing superfluous.

On the shoulders of Ivan, Dmitry, and hundreds of similar young men, who every day practice mastering formidable weapons and military equipment, improving their combat readiness day by day, lies today the guarantee of security and peace for the Republic of Belarus.

Vasily MATYRKA