Belarus pledges strong response to any aggressive moves

Belarus will respond decisively to anyone who decides to speak from a position of force, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin told the media in Luninets District where President Aleksandr Lukashenko visited the military facilities and held a meeting on military security, BelTA has learned.

"We are not threatening anyone. But we will not tolerate being threatened. The president made it clear today," the minister said.

It is important to take measures in advance, to develop the Armed Forces to make sure an attack of an aggressor is impossible, Viktor Khrenin noted. "If it still happens, we will give an adequate and full-force response if someone plans to speak to us from a position of force," he stressed.

The minister noted that military security issues are analyzed in all directions, and there are a number of issues that the Belarusian side is really seriously concerned about, especially as of recently. “For example, we are concerned about the ongoing militarization in European countries, military buildup near our borders and the improvement of the military infrastructure in adjacent territories. We see similar activity in the southern direction, Ukraine,” he noted.

"Our neighbors have been increasing the intensity of combat training. Ukraine has changed the political vector and started issuing accusations and threats against us. The U.S. has military stationed permanently in Ukraine's Defense Ministry and they do not hide this fact. Their airspace is used by reconnaissance aircraft. Camps have been deployed, housing about 6,000 different categories of soldiers. This cannot but worry us. The issue of military security is crucial today. We must make decisions regarding the defense of our country,” said Viktor Khrenin.

According to the minister, the development of the country's air defense system, including for the medium and long term through 2040, was discussed during the head of state's visit to Luninets. “We are well aware that the relevant armament is very expensive, and we need to proceed from the available resources. All these figures were revisited and reported today. We are currently in one of the military camps which has a good future. There are plans to develop its infrastructure further. It accommodates military units. New units will also be stationed here,” Viktor Khrenin said.

The area near Luninets will also be involved in the upcoming joint exercise of the Armed Forces of Belarus and Russia Allied Resolve 2022 in February. “There are 11 areas that will be used during the exercise. This area will be involved in the exercise as well,” the minister said.

According to Commander of the Belarusian Air Force and Air Defense Forces Igor Golub, the country's air defense is very effective. Plans are in place to continue strengthening this component, particularly at the southern borders, equip the troops with the state-of-the-art systems and hardware.