Belarus deploys special operation forces near the border with Ukraine

DENYS KARLOVSKYI - Tuesday, 10 May 2022, 15:31

The Belorusian military leadership has begun the second stage of its "surprise" inspection of the combat readiness of its troops

Source: BelTA, the Belarusian state information agency, referring to comments made by the Belarusian Minister of Defence, Viktor Khrenin; official website of the self-proclaimed President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko

Quote by Khrenin: "All this was planned as an appropriate reaction to the ‘Defender Europe 2022’ exercise which began on 1 May in the NATO countries.

"We see their every movement, we see which battalion tactical groups are involved, in which training grounds, which tasks they intend to perfect. Understanding the threats that they may pose, we are reacting appropriately [and] deploying adequate troops in these directions."

Details: Lukashenko explained that this "surprise" inspection is being carried out in order to prepare troops for "sudden" deployment  in the event of a war. In the dictator’s opinion, the Belarusian Army’s performance is "not bad", and the reform of the mobility of military subdivisions, which began 10 years ago, has borne fruit.

According to Belarus’s military, NATO countries have deployed formations of about 40,000 soldiers near Belarus’s borders, particularly its border with Poland; these troops allegedly pose a threat to the security and independence of Belarus.

Reminder: In January and February 2022, when Western governments drew attention to the threat posed by the manoeuvres of tens of thousands of Russian soldiers in Belarusian territory, the regime of self-proclaimed President Aleksandr Lukashenko became indignant and stated that it is the sovereign right of an independent country to carry out troop manoeuvres in its own territory. However, according to the logic of the Lukashenko regime, Poland and Belarus’s neighbours do not have the sovereignty to deploy troops.

Background:

• On 4 May, following talks between Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Belarusian Ministry of Defence began a surprise inspection of its troops. One rocket division deployed its capabilities in Brest-Litovsk, near Belarus’s borders with Ukraine and Poland. Military equipment was also spotted near Belarus’s border with Lithuania.
• On 5 May, Lukashenko stated that Russia’s war against Ukraine "has dragged on". 

The self-proclaimed head of Belarus added that he does not intend to fight on the Russian side against Ukraine.

• On 9 May, Victory Day, Lukashenko declared that "Nazism has again raised its head" in Ukraine.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence is convinced that these "surprise exercises" do not pose a substantial threat to the countries which border Belarus but may be used to tie down parts of the Ukrainian Army on Ukraine’s northern border in order to prevent it from reinforcing its troops in Donbas