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Belarus adjusts army equipping strategy in the wake of Russia’s SMO

BREST OBLAST, 21 October (BelTA) - Belarus has adjusted its army equipping strategy in the wake of of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko told reporters, BelTA has learned.

The head of state noted that Belarus had large-scale army equipping plans worth billions of dollars until 2030. The country has implemented four or five armament modernization programs. “During the Syria operation and before the Ukrainian operation, we discussed ways to modernize our Armed Forces. There were eye-watering plans, I admit it. The military rolled out the plan until 2030 worth billions of dollars," the Belarusian leader said.

But when the special operation began, it showed that the strategy must be adjusted. Belarus made its conclusions. "Belarus is a wooded and swampy land... The terrain in the north of Ukraine up to Kiev is similar to the one in Belarus. It is even more difficult here. Without the boots on the ground, armored personnel carriers, tanks, armored vehicles and other things, there will be no victory. This hardware is suitable for defense too," the president said.

"You can get carried away with stories from the media and other bloggers and go very far, spending a lot of money, and yet failing to achieve the result you aim for. Therefore, having  drawn the conclusions, we will cut the financing probably five times or maybe more but still will achieve the result we need," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The experience has shown that the military prefer simpler, but modernized and reliable hardware. Among them is the time-proven T-72 tank. Upgraded T-72 tanks are in service in the Belarusian army. After all, there are many cases when the most modern, sophisticated tank with various features fails and military personnel do not know what to do with it. "Military guys want their hardware to be simple and reliable. All kinds of bells and whistles are good, until they aren’t," the Belarusian leader said.

The president was shown a T-72 tank ungraded using Belarusian developments of the military-industrial complex. It is not inferior to the most advanced tanks. "This is our way. We have begun to modernize these tanks. We will accelerate this program," the Belarusian leader said. “The main thing is to teach people. If all tank crews in our country work like these guys, we will not be afraid of any wars.”

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