Vitebsk paratroopers received new equipment for armament
A solemn ceremony of handing over new equipment to the 103rd Guards Separate Airborne Brigade for armament took place in Vitebsk.
The combat vehicle fleet of the 103rd Brigade has been replenished with 50 units. The airborne battalion received 32 BTR-70MB1 armored personnel carriers, and 18 2B23 semi-automatic mortars were handed over to two batteries of the brigade's mixed artillery battalion.
The event was attended by the Deputy Minister of Defense for Armament - Chief of Armament of the Armed Forces, Sergey Simonenko. He congratulated the brigade's personnel on this significant event and expressed confidence that the equipment will be in reliable hands.
"Every year, the Belarusian army receives about 100 units of military equipment - today it is the turn of the 103rd Brigade. The armament of the Armed Forces is carried out in three directions. This includes the modernization of existing equipment at industrial enterprises, the purchase of modern models produced in Belarus, and their supply from Russian enterprises within the framework of military-technical cooperation. In the first direction, the brigade received armored personnel carriers, which were modernized at the 140th Repair Plant of the State Military Industrial Committee. In the second direction, modern MZKT-500200 vehicles were purchased from the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant. And within the framework of the third direction, mortars were supplied. All this equipment will allow paratroopers to perform their tasks more effectively," emphasized Sergey Simonenko.
He added that the MKZT-500200 vehicle, along with the 2B23 mortars, have also been supplied to the 38th Separate Guards Assault Brigade in Brest. For the quality training of future officers, similar equipment is available at the Military Academy of Belarus and the 72nd Combined Training Center for Specialist Training.
Deputy Commander for Armament -
Head of the Armament Department of the Special Operations Forces Command of the Armed Forces Igor Zolotar noted that next year a similar large-scale rearmament awaits the 38th brigade in Brest.
"For high-quality management of new equipment, the soldiers will only need a small additional training. The armament samples will increase the firepower and mobility of the special operations forces units," said Igor Zolotar.