Opinions & Interviews
Lukashenko: No one should be able to take us by surprise
MINSK, 10 May (BelTA) – The situation in Belarus and around it should be clearly seen and assessed objectively from the military point of view, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at the meeting to discuss Belarus’ defense needs, BelTA has learned.
“We should clearly see what is happening in the territory of Belarus and around the country. If we make plans based on the wrong assessment of the situation, we will look weak in any clash, in any conflict,” the head of state noted.
In particular, the president mentioned the NATO exercise that is taking place in Poland and the increase in the NATO presence in this country. “We know that NATO has embarked on a large-scale exercise along our border. Various fake news and speculations are circulating around it. Journalists are already asking me about this. There were 3,000 people at our border, now their number is nearly 40,000. They are conducting a large-scale exercise,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.
“I have never hid and will never hide that the defense minister and the General Staff were instructed to foresee any development,” the president emphasized. He noted that people in charge should have a good understanding of what is happening in the adjacent territory. This is also the task of the State Border Committee, the State Security Committee, and the Armed Forces.
“No one should be able to take us by surprise. This is the lesson of the past war. We are not aggressors, we are not going to attack anyone. Yet, we should keep our powder dry and keep our eyes open. We should see what our adversaries are doing near our border (I say this frankly so that they understand), and respond,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
In this regard, the president mentioned the surprise inspection of the response force of the Armed Forces announced on 4 May. “The essence of this surprise inspection is to see how fast our units will be combat-ready in case of war. Just imagine that an aggression is launched. How will it proceed? Will it come from the west or the south? We see several scenarios. We must respond taking into account these scenarios,” the Belarusian leader said.
He explained that such a development of events suggests advancement of the Armed Forces units to certain areas, blocking of roads and other areas of movement of the potential enemy, and other actions.
According to the head of state, the snap inspection shows that the Armed Forces of Belarus function well. Aleksandr Lukashenko asked State Secretary of the Security Council Aleksandr Volfovich to report his vision of the situation.
As BelTA has reported, following a ceremony on the occasion of the 77th anniversary of Great Victory on 9 May, the head of state was asked about the recent reports on the internet suggesting that Poland is planning to attack Belarus and is holding a large-scale military exercise.
"Let them try. We defeated enemies here much stronger than Poland. So if they want to give it a try, let them do it. Although I am concerned about this as well. They have built up the military presence from 3,000 to 32,000 or even 40,000 in Poland and Lithuania. We have been watching this situation very carefully. I've always told the military: we shouldn't miss anything. We must not repeat 1941. Therefore, we will respond," the president said.
"We know how our army measures against NATO (a military machine)... But Russia is behind us, a nuclear power. We have an appropriate agreement. We have often discussed this topic recently with the Russian president," the Belarusian leader said.
He also stressed that it is impossible to defeat a nation who fights on their land, for their territory, for their families and children.
"Probably, they somehow want to distract us, Belarus and Russia, from Ukraine. They are complete fools. They are doing public campaigns never understanding what Polish, Lithuanian, or German soldiers live by. No one wants war, above all soldiers. Since the military do not need the war, it means that it will not happen," the head of state summed up.
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