MINSK, 17 September (BelTA) – Western security agencies talk about Belarus as a possible escalation site. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the statement during a patriotic forum held in Minsk on 17 September, BelTA has learned.
The head of state stated that the self-exiled opposition and their Western curators are once again trying to rile up the general public and create a pre-rebellion situation in Belarus ahead of a presidential election. They have started working out action plans. “All kinds of things happened. And an attack in mass media. We are trying to decently rebuff it. The beginning of the work of our First News Channel testifies to that. It is a decent response,” the Belarusian leader stated.
An armed invasion of Belarus is still an option. “As security agencies of the West say, our people will fight for power here. Well, we understand how it happens. The crazy ones from our ranks are at the forefront while the next ones are not ours. We saw it in 2020. Truth be told, it didn’t pan out. But it remains an option even today. They are training entire regiments. They used to be called Vlasov’s army. By the way, our Belarusians invaded [Russia’s] Kursk Oblast together with Russian Vlasov’s army personnel. Truth be told, there are no more than 100 people. But all of them dream of coming here with arms in hands,” the president said.
He stressed that he was not trying to inflate tensions on the festive day. “I simply want to quote one document to you. According to information obtained by our security agencies during a confidential part of negotiations of our self-exiled opposition in one country (I am not going to identify it due to certain reasons) representatives of the USA made the following statements. From mid-September through early November the USA expects a substantial escalation of the military situation both from Moscow and from Kiev. At the frontline. I want Russians to hear it as well. We have not shared this information with them yet,” the head of state stated. “Western security agencies talk about Belarus as a possible site of the escalation. It may seem quiet. Yes, [Ukrainian military] went to Kursk. They are leaving. They will leave. Ukrainians will not be able to hold on to it. But Americans don’t want that. They need the war to go on to the last Ukrainian. Better yet to the last Russian. They need a war. And they don’t need this quiet at the frontline. They need an escalation. This is why they talk about Belarus as a possible site of the escalation of the situation.”
Meanwhile, as far as the escalation in the direction of Belarus is concerned, Belarus’ Armed Forces will not get involved. “We will never do it. Unless a foreign boot steps into our soil,” Aleksandr Lukashenko assured.
In his words, he was referring to Kiev’s response to flights of Russian drones across Belarus’ territory. A response that could go as far as attacks against border infrastructure. “In other words, Americans instructed Kiev to attack our infrastructure at the southern border if appropriate circumstances are in place. The reason is the fact that Russian drones fly over the territory and near the territory of Belarus,” he said.
“I should tell you publicly that we have reached an agreement with Ukrainians via certain channels that we will not highlight flights of Russian and Ukrainian drones into our territory in mass media,” the president noted. “Why is it happening? Because both sides are bad at controlling these drones. First of all, it is a new thing for them. Secondly, radioelectronic warfare systems are operational and throw the drones off course. And we’ve found one of them outside Bobruisk. In the center of Belarus. And those were Ukrainian drones. Not Russian ones. Although the other kind also happens. We’ve reached an agreement.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko stated that, nevertheless, puppeteers from Washington force Ukraine to clash with Belarus. “And I want to ask Americans: do you want peace, peace talks, or an escalation of the situation? I am asking it for a reason. Because they have been recently dropping very frequent hints about negotiations to us. And they have even put forward terms ahead of the negotiations. We have agreed. But how should we understand that?” the Belarusian leader wondered.
“It is their policy. And it was so back then, too. All of it is being repeated about 100 years later. We’ve been through all of that. Because we live in the epicenter at the crossroads of all ways,” the Belarusian leader noted.
Among other things Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled the war against Napoleon’s army, World War One, and other large-scale conflicts. All of them rolled over Belarus and brought a lot of sorrow and destruction.
“History is repeating itself. But I simply want to warn our adversaries, our competitors in this regard. And those, who don’t understand it yet. You must not do it! It will benefit neither the European region nor the entire planet. Mark my words: an attack against Belarus will trigger World War Three,” the Belarusian leader stressed. “This is why neither Ukrainians, nor Russians, they understand it perfectly well, nor Americans, who want to sit it out across the ocean, must do it.”