President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko visited the 103rd Vitebsk Separate Guards Airborne Brigade
The Head of State was informed about the history of formation, purpose, and combat capabilities of the peacekeeping company, and was shown various options for its equipment, armament, and military vehicles.
Recently, the President visited the 38th Brest Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade. As explained by the Commander of the Special Operations Forces, Vadim Denisenko, the 103rd Brigade in Vitebsk has a peacekeeping unit. Only contract soldiers serve there. They can perform tasks within the framework of UN, CSTO, and NATO's "Partnership for Peace" program missions. Otherwise, the brigades are identical.
"Another example of what the army should be like: contract service, conscription, and so on. Where necessary, it is entirely on a contract basis. Where conscripts can serve, we are developing conscription," noted Alexander Lukashenko.
The President inquired whether there were any problems with recruiting contract soldiers in the brigade. Vadim Denisenko assured that there are many applicants wishing to join the Special Operations Forces on a contract basis, hence there is a high competition.
The Commander of the SOF added that Belarusian peacekeepers distinguish themselves in all military competitions, taking first and prize-winning places. For example, last year, servicemen of the 103rd Brigade won silver at a prestigious competition in Wales. At that time, about 140 teams from different countries competed for victory. In 2018, Vitebsk peacekeepers became the best at the international Cambrian Patrol competition in Great Britain. Belarusian paratroopers regularly win medals at other international competitions as well.
Alexander Lukashenko lamented that Belarusians have not yet managed to win gold in tank biathlon and jokingly suggested putting paratroopers on a tank. "I asked. They didn't give us a tank battalion," Vadim Denisenko quipped in response.
The Head of State stated that he pays close attention to army sports and monitors the participation of Belarusian military personnel in all competitions. "There are elders sitting there. They see that Belarus has an army and it is at this level. And they do not want to fight with such an army. That is, it is a demonstration of both the flag and strength," he noted.
Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that work is currently underway on a new law on public service. "We want to bring civil servants up to the level of military personnel. And how does public service differ? Sometimes it is even more important. They want to command the army, so public service should be appropriate," the President noted.
The Head of State believes that no less serious requirements should be imposed on the post of President. He proposed that the new Constitution should include another requirement for those who intend to occupy the highest state post: only a citizen of Belarus who has served in the army can be President.
"What kind of Commander-in-Chief is he if he doesn't know what the army is? He will walk around with his mouth open, you will feed him nonsense, tell him SVD (Dragunov sniper rifle. - Ed.), and he will think it's a tank," Alexander Lukashenko noted. "If you haven't served in the army, then you shouldn't be there (in the presidential position. - Ed.)."
"If a woman applies, we will send her to the Vitebsk brigade in advance so that she is prepared and can distinguish an armored personnel carrier from a tank, an infantry fighting vehicle, and so on," the Head of State added jokingly.
At the 103rd Brigade, the President was also shown a drill of the combat episode "Operation of a mobile checkpoint" and a demonstration drive ("waltz") of the BTR-80.
Afterwards, the Head of State met with the brigade's military personnel. During the meeting with the servicemen, he recalled the situation that was developing in the world before the start of the Great Patriotic War. "We did not want war, the leadership of the Soviet Union tried in every way to prevent the war, understanding that it would be difficult to avoid it. In this regard, mass rearmament and re-equipping of the army began. Naturally, Nazi Germany, striving eastward, understood that rearmament and modernization of the armed forces could not be allowed. But let's be frank, we then fumbled the start of this war (our leadership), and we had to pay a high price for the victory we achieved in 1945," the President said. He also spoke about how specially trained armed formations were transferred across the USSR border, primarily into the territory of Belarus. "In the uniform of the Soviet armed forces. They not only neutralized the entire border zone. But understanding that without bridges and crossings, a blitzkrieg in this war would be impossible, they killed almost everyone who defended Belarus's infrastructure. And mainly because of this, the fascist army quickly advanced through all of Belarus. In fact, they pierced our republic with their main striking force," the Head of State noted.
According to him, that was a typical start to the war, but a lot of time has passed since then, and the situation has changed. "It is impossible to start a war unexpectedly, to throw an armada of aircraft into the territory of even Belarus. It will not be so easy to cross our border as it was then. But the main lesson that I, as Commander-in-Chief, our leaders, and you, officers, have learned from that brutal war is to keep your powder dry. And he who does not feed his soldier will feed another's. I didn't invent this, but we have learned it forever, it is at our genetic level," said Alexander Lukashenko.
The President noted that the fate of Belarus should be determined exclusively by its citizens. "We are a young sovereign independent state. We gained this independence without bloodshed. Perhaps without sweat either," the Head of State noted. "Back then, there was a fierce struggle for power between Yeltsin and Gorbachev in the Kremlin. And many of us, the whole country in fact, watched what would happen next. That is, we were seemingly one of the main links of that state, but we could not influence the situation, let alone the decision-making, at that time."
"And when I say now (this is very important in the pre-election period), I always ask people to keep this in mind. Our fate is in our hands. And we must make our own decisions about our fate. Here - in Belarus," the Belarusian leader emphasized.
The President noted that over the past decades, several wars have occurred in the world, which Belarus has carefully observed and studied. Starting with the practically ongoing war in Afghanistan, events in Iraq, the Chechen war in Russia, and up to the current clashes in Syria and Libya.
Alexander Lukashenko pointed out that some people see certain shortcomings in the fact that the current President has been leading the country and the Armed Forces for a quarter of a century. "But you see it better. We are in the pre-election period. Everyone has a voice, and they are the master of that voice. Perhaps we did some things right - or wrong. But I always understood that no matter how many ministers of defense or heads of branches of the Armed Forces there were in the country, we studied the wars that unfolded over a quarter of a century with the utmost care. And observing the level of modern warfare, we modernized our Armed Forces. During my tenure, I had to make decisions four times to change our actions in the context of armed conflicts," the Head of State said.
He noted that he had listed facts about 1941 to lead up to the main question: what modern warfare would be like if it happened, how it would unfold, and what causes and goals the aggressor would pursue. He asked the State Secretary of the Security Council, Andrei Ravkov, to elaborate on this topic, noting that Belarus had recently updated its Military Doctrine in this regard. "We are military men. We exist to fight. God forbid, of course. But if... then we must and will fight, defending not only our Motherland (which is the main thing), our land, but also our families, our children," the Belarusian leader emphasized.
Andrei Ravkov said that, indeed, the world does not stand still, and unfortunately, this also applies to the methods of waging war in its various manifestations. Therefore, taking into account modern trends, changes were made to the Military Doctrine of Belarus in 2018 regarding risks, challenges, and threats.
The State Secretary of the Security Council stressed that modern warfare has various forms, and often the scenario does not repeat itself. Therefore, the branches of the country's Armed Forces are aimed at being ready for any development of the situation.
However, Andrei Ravkov pointed out that most often modern warfare and conflicts did not start with external interventions using troops. "As a rule, it started from the street, the square," he said.
"We should not think that someone said the army would be against the people, would shoot against the people," the State Secretary of the Security Council emphasized. "Not only the Armed Forces, but also the police, internal troops, border guards, other security agencies – our task is to prevent the death of the state, to prevent bloodshed among the people. If we allow this, it means we have lost the battle. And if it suddenly starts, it will be secret, quiet: the organization of mass riots, which you are now, I am sure, seeing and observing."
Andrei Ravkov added that with modern technologies, there are great opportunities to stir up society, to destabilize the situation from within. "And the conflict can then escalate into anything. Moreover, external forces are also involved in this. This is no secret to anyone. It is visible to the naked eye," he noted.
Recently, the President visited the 38th Brest Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade. As explained by the Commander of the Special Operations Forces, Vadim Denisenko, the 103rd Brigade in Vitebsk has a peacekeeping unit. Only contract soldiers serve there. They can perform tasks within the framework of UN, CSTO, and NATO's "Partnership for Peace" program missions. Otherwise, the brigades are identical.
"Another example of what the army should be like: contract service, conscription, and so on. Where necessary, it is entirely on a contract basis. Where conscripts can serve, we are developing conscription," noted Alexander Lukashenko.
The President inquired whether there were any problems with recruiting contract soldiers in the brigade. Vadim Denisenko assured that there are many applicants wishing to join the Special Operations Forces on a contract basis, hence there is a high competition.
The Commander of the SOF added that Belarusian peacekeepers distinguish themselves in all military competitions, taking first and prize-winning places. For example, last year, servicemen of the 103rd Brigade won silver at a prestigious competition in Wales. At that time, about 140 teams from different countries competed for victory. In 2018, Vitebsk peacekeepers became the best at the international Cambrian Patrol competition in Great Britain. Belarusian paratroopers regularly win medals at other international competitions as well.
Alexander Lukashenko lamented that Belarusians have not yet managed to win gold in tank biathlon and jokingly suggested putting paratroopers on a tank. "I asked. They didn't give us a tank battalion," Vadim Denisenko quipped in response.
The Head of State stated that he pays close attention to army sports and monitors the participation of Belarusian military personnel in all competitions. "There are elders sitting there. They see that Belarus has an army and it is at this level. And they do not want to fight with such an army. That is, it is a demonstration of both the flag and strength," he noted.
Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that work is currently underway on a new law on public service. "We want to bring civil servants up to the level of military personnel. And how does public service differ? Sometimes it is even more important. They want to command the army, so public service should be appropriate," the President noted.
The Head of State believes that no less serious requirements should be imposed on the post of President. He proposed that the new Constitution should include another requirement for those who intend to occupy the highest state post: only a citizen of Belarus who has served in the army can be President.
"What kind of Commander-in-Chief is he if he doesn't know what the army is? He will walk around with his mouth open, you will feed him nonsense, tell him SVD (Dragunov sniper rifle. - Ed.), and he will think it's a tank," Alexander Lukashenko noted. "If you haven't served in the army, then you shouldn't be there (in the presidential position. - Ed.)."
"If a woman applies, we will send her to the Vitebsk brigade in advance so that she is prepared and can distinguish an armored personnel carrier from a tank, an infantry fighting vehicle, and so on," the Head of State added jokingly.
At the 103rd Brigade, the President was also shown a drill of the combat episode "Operation of a mobile checkpoint" and a demonstration drive ("waltz") of the BTR-80.
Afterwards, the Head of State met with the brigade's military personnel. During the meeting with the servicemen, he recalled the situation that was developing in the world before the start of the Great Patriotic War. "We did not want war, the leadership of the Soviet Union tried in every way to prevent the war, understanding that it would be difficult to avoid it. In this regard, mass rearmament and re-equipping of the army began. Naturally, Nazi Germany, striving eastward, understood that rearmament and modernization of the armed forces could not be allowed. But let's be frank, we then fumbled the start of this war (our leadership), and we had to pay a high price for the victory we achieved in 1945," the President said. He also spoke about how specially trained armed formations were transferred across the USSR border, primarily into the territory of Belarus. "In the uniform of the Soviet armed forces. They not only neutralized the entire border zone. But understanding that without bridges and crossings, a blitzkrieg in this war would be impossible, they killed almost everyone who defended Belarus's infrastructure. And mainly because of this, the fascist army quickly advanced through all of Belarus. In fact, they pierced our republic with their main striking force," the Head of State noted.
According to him, that was a typical start to the war, but a lot of time has passed since then, and the situation has changed. "It is impossible to start a war unexpectedly, to throw an armada of aircraft into the territory of even Belarus. It will not be so easy to cross our border as it was then. But the main lesson that I, as Commander-in-Chief, our leaders, and you, officers, have learned from that brutal war is to keep your powder dry. And he who does not feed his soldier will feed another's. I didn't invent this, but we have learned it forever, it is at our genetic level," said Alexander Lukashenko.
The President noted that the fate of Belarus should be determined exclusively by its citizens. "We are a young sovereign independent state. We gained this independence without bloodshed. Perhaps without sweat either," the Head of State noted. "Back then, there was a fierce struggle for power between Yeltsin and Gorbachev in the Kremlin. And many of us, the whole country in fact, watched what would happen next. That is, we were seemingly one of the main links of that state, but we could not influence the situation, let alone the decision-making, at that time."
"And when I say now (this is very important in the pre-election period), I always ask people to keep this in mind. Our fate is in our hands. And we must make our own decisions about our fate. Here - in Belarus," the Belarusian leader emphasized.
The President noted that over the past decades, several wars have occurred in the world, which Belarus has carefully observed and studied. Starting with the practically ongoing war in Afghanistan, events in Iraq, the Chechen war in Russia, and up to the current clashes in Syria and Libya.
Alexander Lukashenko pointed out that some people see certain shortcomings in the fact that the current President has been leading the country and the Armed Forces for a quarter of a century. "But you see it better. We are in the pre-election period. Everyone has a voice, and they are the master of that voice. Perhaps we did some things right - or wrong. But I always understood that no matter how many ministers of defense or heads of branches of the Armed Forces there were in the country, we studied the wars that unfolded over a quarter of a century with the utmost care. And observing the level of modern warfare, we modernized our Armed Forces. During my tenure, I had to make decisions four times to change our actions in the context of armed conflicts," the Head of State said.
He noted that he had listed facts about 1941 to lead up to the main question: what modern warfare would be like if it happened, how it would unfold, and what causes and goals the aggressor would pursue. He asked the State Secretary of the Security Council, Andrei Ravkov, to elaborate on this topic, noting that Belarus had recently updated its Military Doctrine in this regard. "We are military men. We exist to fight. God forbid, of course. But if... then we must and will fight, defending not only our Motherland (which is the main thing), our land, but also our families, our children," the Belarusian leader emphasized.
Andrei Ravkov said that, indeed, the world does not stand still, and unfortunately, this also applies to the methods of waging war in its various manifestations. Therefore, taking into account modern trends, changes were made to the Military Doctrine of Belarus in 2018 regarding risks, challenges, and threats.
The State Secretary of the Security Council stressed that modern warfare has various forms, and often the scenario does not repeat itself. Therefore, the branches of the country's Armed Forces are aimed at being ready for any development of the situation.
However, Andrei Ravkov pointed out that most often modern warfare and conflicts did not start with external interventions using troops. "As a rule, it started from the street, the square," he said.
"We should not think that someone said the army would be against the people, would shoot against the people," the State Secretary of the Security Council emphasized. "Not only the Armed Forces, but also the police, internal troops, border guards, other security agencies – our task is to prevent the death of the state, to prevent bloodshed among the people. If we allow this, it means we have lost the battle. And if it suddenly starts, it will be secret, quiet: the organization of mass riots, which you are now, I am sure, seeing and observing."
Andrei Ravkov added that with modern technologies, there are great opportunities to stir up society, to destabilize the situation from within. "And the conflict can then escalate into anything. Moreover, external forces are also involved in this. This is no secret to anyone. It is visible to the naked eye," he noted.