Yury Zhadobin, Belarusian Minister of Defence, is unalterably opposed to alternative service and military service under contract.
In his opinion, this is the way that some unfair citizens use to "hang back". At the same time, the term of service is unlikely to be extended.
Military expert Aliaksandr Alesin stresses that despite the Belarusian army comes up against a lot of problems our society has reached the main goal for the years of independence, i.e. the national combat-effestive army has been created on the basis of the Belarusian Military District.
"This is not to say that the present-day Belarusian army is on the same level with that of the Fifties or Sixties. Before the collapse of the USSR up-to-the-moment weaponry and equipment were delivered to the Belarusian Military District: tanks T-70B, fighters, etc," the experts said.
The weaponry might have been state-of-the-art in 1985 but it is sure to be obsolete and outdated. As the Belarusian economy provides no opportunity to arm the forces up to the state of the art its Minister of Defence may not be inspired with the idea of the transition to the contract system of completing. According to Mr Alesin, a professional army based on contract principles is much more expensive. "It is the truly rich countries that opt for a professional army," he said.
Meanwhile, the Belarusian army numbers more than 60,000 soldiers and civil staff. What for should we maintain them? As Aliaksandr Lukashenka repeatedly stressed that it is the Belarusian armed forces that separates Russia from NATO, the authorities need them to prove the statements like that.
