News & Events in Belarus

MINSK, 31 May (BelTA) – Despite the complicated tasks the Belarusian army faced in the course of the comprehensive inspection, which took place in February-April 2018, all the tasks were fulfilled, BelTA learned from State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Stanislav Zas after the government conference held by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on 31 May.

Stanislav Zas said: “The inspection was massive and unexpected. It affected thousands of military personnel and hundreds of combat equipment units. The inspection focused on the matters, which require close attention in modern conditions. Many of them were checked for the first time. In other words, it was not a routine check for the Armed Forces or the personnel involved in the review. Results of this work have been compiled. We’ve had a rather high-toned and even harsh conversation. Because there are shortcomings. Primarily of subjective nature.”

Stanislav Zas explained how the new component of the Belarusian army — immediate reaction forces — had been tested. The combat readiness of their on-duty units was evaluated. “These are units, which are always on high alert. They have to deploy with their combat vehicles and all the weapons within minutes in to carry out any combat missions,” explained the state secretary.

These units had to demonstrate their performance in unfamiliar places and with real targets. They managed to do the job.

Close attention was paid to on-duty reconnaissance units, training standards of the specialists, and the quality of their resulting “product”.

A lot of attention was paid to on-duty air defense forces. “Our air space needs reliable protection in any situation. This is why every inspection, every review of the Armed Forces affects air defense units. A total of 14 test targets were launched unexpectedly at various altitudes, low ones, as a rule. None of the test targets was left unattended. On the whole, the system works and has done its job. Yes, there are drawbacks and the lack of performance in individual units and today’s conversation mentioned it,” noted Stanislav Zas.

The mobilization of reserve personnel was also tested in the course of the inspection. A mechanized brigade had to be created from virtually zero. About 2,000 reservists were drafted. The brigade went through the entire formation and combat shakedown cycle. Various exercises were held after that to check its performance.

According to the state secretary, battlefield medics were deployed for the first time as part of the Belarusian army review process. “There are definitely problems. It seems it is time to revise this system. The head of state said it in no-nonsense terms today. It is necessary to move away from Soviet practices and focus on what we really have — we have a well-developed network of clinics and hospitals. We should rely on them instead of deploying some additional hospitals somewhere,” said Stanislav Zas.

Army discipline was also discussed during the government conference held by the head of state. The prosecutor general and the chairman of the Investigative Committee offered their views on the matter. It was noted that the crime rate in the army was declining across the board. Yet an increase in bullying and harassment was registered in comparison with 2017.

“It mostly has to do with the work of the law enforcement agencies, which, certainly, have stepped up their performance upon instructions of the head of state and checked everything thoroughly in the Armed Forces. And the entire vertical of the Defense Ministry. The work will continue. Certainly, there is bullying and harassment in the army. We cannot say we have done everything to eradicate these phenomena. It is necessary to put systemic efforts into this work. This work will continue,” stated the state secretary of the Security Council of Belarus.