Posted:
16.09.2021 11:00:00
For the sake of security in the region
The Armed Forces of Belarus and Russia conducted a large-scale joint strategic exercise ‘Zapad-2021’, with the President of our country taking part in the active phase of the manoeuvres. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Belarus watched the progress of manoeuvres at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training area in the Baranovichi District. Aleksandr Lukashenko was pleased with what he saw and stressed, “Let no one even doubt that we — Belarusians, Russians, Kazakhstanis and citizens of other CSTO member states — are ready to do everything to preserve regional security and peace in our Fatherland.”
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Taking into account military conflicts in the world
On his arrival at the training ground, the Commander-in-Chief first of all visited the command post of the regional group of forces of Belarus and Russia, tackling the provision of military security of the Union State in the western strategic direction. The conversation, for obvious reasons, was closed to the press. However, what we saw later at the training ground was a truly large-scale spectacle, of which they say ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’.
It’s noteworthy that, this year, not only Belarusian and Russian servicemen are involved in the exercise, but also soldiers of the air assault brigade from Kazakhstan. The intrigue was also added to by the fact that the manoeuvres took into account the experience of the latest military conflicts in Syria and Nagorno-Karabakh and took place in conditions as close as possible to combat ones. For greater authenticity, even a conditional settlement Zornoye was built at the training ground. According to legend, it was captured by the gunmen.
The units of the territorial troops were the first to enter the battle with the illegal armed formation. They blocked bandits and radicals. The airborne assault subunits, supported by Mi-24 and Ka-52 attack helicopters, soon arrived to help them. By joint effort, they carried out a sweep of the settlement. The airspace was taken over by Su-30 fighters.
To deter the enemy’s offensive, a squadron of four Su-34s destroyed its air defence systems at the starting positions using high-explosive fragmentation bombs. A strike group of Su-25 attack aircraft joined the battle, and a few minutes later the sky above the training ground was ‘cut’ by the supersonic Tu-22M3 bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces. This machine is capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 7,500km from home airfields. These bombers easily dealt with the command posts of the enemy army corps.
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At that time, the ‘Tornado’ multiple launch rocket systems were operating on the ground in tandem with the combat vehicles of the ‘Solntsepek’ heavy flamethrower system. The latter got its name (translated as ‘burning sun’) for a reason: a continuous avalanche of fire destroys all living things over a large area.
...The enemy is demoralised, the reserves are cut off. This enabled the main forces of the regional group of forces to launch a counteroffensive. The newest tanks, which are in service with the troops of the Union State, moved into a counterattack: T-72B3, T-80, T-90UBKh. Rocket troops and artillery fired from all barrels, and our aviation ruled the air. Via swift co-ordinated actions, the attackers finally destroyed the armoured vehicles and manpower of the enemy, leaving it no chance to regroup.
The journalists later asked the Commander-in-Chief about his personal impressions. Aleksandr Lukashenko responded,
Awards are given according to merits. The Commander-in-Chief personally awarded the most distinguished servicemen and appealed to the governors and heads of local authorities, “Find an opportunity — this is an order — to thank all the people we drafted for the exercise. People deserve both gratitude and, most importantly, financial incentives. I know they didn’t do it for the money, but, nevertheless, this should be done. The same applies to the representatives from Kazakhstan and Russia, who will continue taking part in the operations at the training grounds, fortunately, peaceful so far.”
Separate gratitude from the Head of State was rendered to the servicemen of the territorial troops, “You are all real men. Every single person who had to be drafted showed up on time at the recruiting station and trained with honour at the training areas.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko also urged people not to relax, noting that the situation in the world is very serious,
“There will be no war only if the servicemen improve their training and demonstrate their skills to the possible enemy. The situation is very serious in the world, the world has gone mad. We cannot feel complacent in any case.”
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The Belarusian leader also instructed the Government and the Ministry of Defence to find an opportunity and reward the CSTO colleagues who took part in the exercise, “We will definitely defend this land, as our ancestors did.”
After the awards ceremony, Aleksandr Lukashenko familiarised himself with some samples of new and modernised military equipment. In particular, the modified V-2 armoured personnel carrier from the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant was highly praised by the Commander-in-Chief. Of the imported components, it has only a Chinese-made engine. The remaining parts, including the combat module, are Belarus-made. Domestic developments of high-precision optoelectronic instrumentation are also noteworthy. For example, as a representative of LEMT Scientific and Technical Centre of the BelOMO told us, only Belarus and the United States currently produce ultra-modern holographic sights. The tropospheric communications station, the latest drones, and the ‘Polonez’ multiple launch rocket system were also presented.
History teaches a lot
Taking into account the events of recent days, a significant part of the President’s communication with journalists was devoted to issues of Belarusian-Russian co-operation. In particular, Aleksandr
Lukashenko said that during the recent talks in Moscow with Vladimir Putin, much attention was paid to defence and security issues, “Probably, for 3-3.5 hours out of eight hours we were engaged in a dialogue specifically about defence and security. He told me about more modern S-500 complexes that can work on ballistic missiles. A very effective complex. I also reminded him once again about the S-400, telling him where we want to put these complexes.”
According to the President, now the S-300 systems completely cover the perimeter of Belarus in the western direction,
Speaking in general about the procurement of weapons in Russia, the Head of State noted that a whole list of supplies — worth more than $1bn — had been agreed upon until 2025, “This is about a dozen aircraft, some have already arrived, several dozen helicopters, Tor-M2. This suggests that we and the Russian Federation take the western area very seriously, where we are in direct contact with NATO troops. You see how they behave. Therefore, one cannot relax, taking into account the experience of 1941, when we calmed everything down, calmed everyone down (do not respond to provocations, etc.), and then received a deafening blow and practically lost Belarus in a couple of months.
Continuing the topic of co-operation with Russia, the journalists inquired about the details of the closed part of the negotiations between Aleksandr Lukashenko and his Russian counterpart. The Head of State recalled the chronology of the meeting, “In order not to detain journalists, we discussed the main issues: the main areas of our interaction, which are expressed in 28 Union State programmes. And the big questions are energy, gas, oil and so on which you were informed about [at a joint press conference in the Kremlin]. And then, at the suggestion of Vladimir Putin, we returned to his office, drank tea, and specific issues occupied us: from the construction of facilities (including the Vostochny cosmodrome) to the issue of weapons. We discussed these problems until two in the morning.”
The President noted that after the Belarusian side built a school in Voronezh, a request was received to build other social facilities for another $100m.
Meanwhile, the presidents will discuss all projects in more detail soon. A CIS Summit is scheduled for October 15th in Minsk, which will be attended by the Russian leader.
Journalists also asked whether it was a question of restoring automobile communication between the two countries.
Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that air traffic and rail links are fully restored, and as soon as the epidemiological situation is favourable, they will begin to resolve the issue with road transport.
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Undignified behaviour
The President also commented on the current migration situation on the European border. He recalled how the West appealed to Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan with a request to accept Afghan refugees, and then they will allegedly be taken away, “And Washington ordered the Europeans: they must be taken. And rightly so — take them. They worked for you, about half a million people who served the Americans, Europeans, Ukrainians... The Europeans showed wholesome respect. And these Afghans, and with them Iraqis, Libyans and others, poured into the European Union in different directions. It is the Belarusian direction that sticks out. They go through Turkey, through other countries.”
However, Aleksandr Lukashenko continued, the Europeans do not let them in, hound them with dogs, shoot them and use electric shocks. At the same time, the President called the attempts of the European Union to put pressure on Belarus through Russia as undignified behaviour, “Michel [Charles Michel, President of the European Council] calls Putin: ‘You should put pressure on Lukashenko there’. Putin replies: ‘Excuse me, how can I put pressure on him? It is an independent state. Why don’t you want to talk to him yourself? You are talking to the Taliban...’ ‘The Taliban control the territory’. ‘And what, doesn’t Lukashenko control Belarus?’ It was silence.
The Head of State said that a dialogue with European countries is underway, but they put forward certain requirements regarding the internal policy of Belarus: ‘political prisoners’, elections and so on. In this regard, Aleksandr Lukashenko advised our critics to first deal with their problems, including dependence on the Americans.
Returning to the situation with migrants, the Belarusian leader noted that the ball is now in the court of the western partners, “If you want to live safely, come. We will decide on the place, we will meet and discuss these issues.
We have nothing to hide
Aleksandr Lukashenko also called the absence of observers from the US and the EU at the ‘Zapad-2021’ exercise a small-minded approach of the West,
Science to protect
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The ‘Zapad-2021’ exercise was of a planned, defensive nature and is the final stage in the system of joint training of the Armed Forces of Belarus and Russia this year. In accordance with the preparation plan, it took place from September 10th-16th in Belarus and Russia.
Obuz-Lesnovsky, Domanovsky, Ruzhansky and Brest training areas were involved on the territory of Belarus. The manoeuvres were attended by 12,800 military personnel, including about 2,500 Russian and up to 50 Kazakh servicemen from the CSTO Collective Rapid Response Forces, as well as up to 350 armoured vehicles, including 140 tanks, up to 110 artillery units and multiple launch rocket systems, more than 30 aircraft and helicopters.
By Yevgeny Kononovich, Polina Konoga
Taking into account military conflicts in the world
On his arrival at the training ground, the Commander-in-Chief first of all visited the command post of the regional group of forces of Belarus and Russia, tackling the provision of military security of the Union State in the western strategic direction. The conversation, for obvious reasons, was closed to the press. However, what we saw later at the training ground was a truly large-scale spectacle, of which they say ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’.
It’s noteworthy that, this year, not only Belarusian and Russian servicemen are involved in the exercise, but also soldiers of the air assault brigade from Kazakhstan. The intrigue was also added to by the fact that the manoeuvres took into account the experience of the latest military conflicts in Syria and Nagorno-Karabakh and took place in conditions as close as possible to combat ones. For greater authenticity, even a conditional settlement Zornoye was built at the training ground. According to legend, it was captured by the gunmen.
The units of the territorial troops were the first to enter the battle with the illegal armed formation. They blocked bandits and radicals. The airborne assault subunits, supported by Mi-24 and Ka-52 attack helicopters, soon arrived to help them. By joint effort, they carried out a sweep of the settlement. The airspace was taken over by Su-30 fighters.
To deter the enemy’s offensive, a squadron of four Su-34s destroyed its air defence systems at the starting positions using high-explosive fragmentation bombs. A strike group of Su-25 attack aircraft joined the battle, and a few minutes later the sky above the training ground was ‘cut’ by the supersonic Tu-22M3 bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces. This machine is capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 7,500km from home airfields. These bombers easily dealt with the command posts of the enemy army corps.
At that time, the ‘Tornado’ multiple launch rocket systems were operating on the ground in tandem with the combat vehicles of the ‘Solntsepek’ heavy flamethrower system. The latter got its name (translated as ‘burning sun’) for a reason: a continuous avalanche of fire destroys all living things over a large area.
...The enemy is demoralised, the reserves are cut off. This enabled the main forces of the regional group of forces to launch a counteroffensive. The newest tanks, which are in service with the troops of the Union State, moved into a counterattack: T-72B3, T-80, T-90UBKh. Rocket troops and artillery fired from all barrels, and our aviation ruled the air. Via swift co-ordinated actions, the attackers finally destroyed the armoured vehicles and manpower of the enemy, leaving it no chance to regroup.
The journalists later asked the Commander-in-Chief about his personal impressions. Aleksandr Lukashenko responded,
“This is brilliant! The Kazakhstanis have done well to come here. Though there is a small amount, the spirit itself is important. I was very much impressed by the exercise in general.”A case for real men
Awards are given according to merits. The Commander-in-Chief personally awarded the most distinguished servicemen and appealed to the governors and heads of local authorities, “Find an opportunity — this is an order — to thank all the people we drafted for the exercise. People deserve both gratitude and, most importantly, financial incentives. I know they didn’t do it for the money, but, nevertheless, this should be done. The same applies to the representatives from Kazakhstan and Russia, who will continue taking part in the operations at the training grounds, fortunately, peaceful so far.”
Separate gratitude from the Head of State was rendered to the servicemen of the territorial troops, “You are all real men. Every single person who had to be drafted showed up on time at the recruiting station and trained with honour at the training areas.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko also urged people not to relax, noting that the situation in the world is very serious,
“There will be no war only if the servicemen improve their training and demonstrate their skills to the possible enemy. The situation is very serious in the world, the world has gone mad. We cannot feel complacent in any case.”
The Belarusian leader also instructed the Government and the Ministry of Defence to find an opportunity and reward the CSTO colleagues who took part in the exercise, “We will definitely defend this land, as our ancestors did.”
After the awards ceremony, Aleksandr Lukashenko familiarised himself with some samples of new and modernised military equipment. In particular, the modified V-2 armoured personnel carrier from the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant was highly praised by the Commander-in-Chief. Of the imported components, it has only a Chinese-made engine. The remaining parts, including the combat module, are Belarus-made. Domestic developments of high-precision optoelectronic instrumentation are also noteworthy. For example, as a representative of LEMT Scientific and Technical Centre of the BelOMO told us, only Belarus and the United States currently produce ultra-modern holographic sights. The tropospheric communications station, the latest drones, and the ‘Polonez’ multiple launch rocket system were also presented.
History teaches a lot
Taking into account the events of recent days, a significant part of the President’s communication with journalists was devoted to issues of Belarusian-Russian co-operation. In particular, Aleksandr
Lukashenko said that during the recent talks in Moscow with Vladimir Putin, much attention was paid to defence and security issues, “Probably, for 3-3.5 hours out of eight hours we were engaged in a dialogue specifically about defence and security. He told me about more modern S-500 complexes that can work on ballistic missiles. A very effective complex. I also reminded him once again about the S-400, telling him where we want to put these complexes.”
According to the President, now the S-300 systems completely cover the perimeter of Belarus in the western direction,
“But, as you know, a southern direction was added. We discussed this topic with Belarusian generals and Russians. We are starting to feel the heat from the south. And worse things may happen… We need to prepare. The Belarusian-Ukrainian border is 1,200km long. This is why we have to cover this perimeter, too.And we were just talking about the fact that the S-400 will be appropriate for us. And he [Vladimir Putin] gave instructions to the Defence Minister to work with our people on these issues in order to be able to supply these complexes to us.”
History teaches a lot. We want to be ready in advance and the current exercise is what it is all about.”‘Specific issues occupied us’
Continuing the topic of co-operation with Russia, the journalists inquired about the details of the closed part of the negotiations between Aleksandr Lukashenko and his Russian counterpart. The Head of State recalled the chronology of the meeting, “In order not to detain journalists, we discussed the main issues: the main areas of our interaction, which are expressed in 28 Union State programmes. And the big questions are energy, gas, oil and so on which you were informed about [at a joint press conference in the Kremlin]. And then, at the suggestion of Vladimir Putin, we returned to his office, drank tea, and specific issues occupied us: from the construction of facilities (including the Vostochny cosmodrome) to the issue of weapons. We discussed these problems until two in the morning.”
The President noted that after the Belarusian side built a school in Voronezh, a request was received to build other social facilities for another $100m.
Meanwhile, the presidents will discuss all projects in more detail soon. A CIS Summit is scheduled for October 15th in Minsk, which will be attended by the Russian leader.
Journalists also asked whether it was a question of restoring automobile communication between the two countries.
Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that air traffic and rail links are fully restored, and as soon as the epidemiological situation is favourable, they will begin to resolve the issue with road transport.
Undignified behaviour
The President also commented on the current migration situation on the European border. He recalled how the West appealed to Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan with a request to accept Afghan refugees, and then they will allegedly be taken away, “And Washington ordered the Europeans: they must be taken. And rightly so — take them. They worked for you, about half a million people who served the Americans, Europeans, Ukrainians... The Europeans showed wholesome respect. And these Afghans, and with them Iraqis, Libyans and others, poured into the European Union in different directions. It is the Belarusian direction that sticks out. They go through Turkey, through other countries.”
However, Aleksandr Lukashenko continued, the Europeans do not let them in, hound them with dogs, shoot them and use electric shocks. At the same time, the President called the attempts of the European Union to put pressure on Belarus through Russia as undignified behaviour, “Michel [Charles Michel, President of the European Council] calls Putin: ‘You should put pressure on Lukashenko there’. Putin replies: ‘Excuse me, how can I put pressure on him? It is an independent state. Why don’t you want to talk to him yourself? You are talking to the Taliban...’ ‘The Taliban control the territory’. ‘And what, doesn’t Lukashenko control Belarus?’ It was silence.
That is, they come in like beaten dogs: they get into sports, culture, in all directions. They begin to put pressure on our guys for nothing: Baskov came out with a flag for the President and they start telling him that he is an enemy, demanding to expel him from the federation. They are tin-pot, petty scoundrels! This is really undignified behaviour.”There will be no conversation until the sanctions are lifted
The Head of State said that a dialogue with European countries is underway, but they put forward certain requirements regarding the internal policy of Belarus: ‘political prisoners’, elections and so on. In this regard, Aleksandr Lukashenko advised our critics to first deal with their problems, including dependence on the Americans.
Returning to the situation with migrants, the Belarusian leader noted that the ball is now in the court of the western partners, “If you want to live safely, come. We will decide on the place, we will meet and discuss these issues.
However, until these brainless sanctions and humiliation of our patriotic people are in place, no one will talk to them, we will not bow down. If you want our help, then behave decently. We should not be treated as secondary people.”Aleksandr Lukashenko drew attention to the fact that western sanctions were ineffective, so Belarus is not worried about new possible restrictions,
“We have everything we need to protect our country from any encroachments.”
We have nothing to hide
Aleksandr Lukashenko also called the absence of observers from the US and the EU at the ‘Zapad-2021’ exercise a small-minded approach of the West,
“The Russians and us invited everyone who needed and wanted to watch this exercise.”We did not hide the plan of the exercise, the number of servicemen involved in it, or the weapons used. In this regard, Aleksandr Lukashenko urged people not to worry about the fact that some of the western observers did not come, “They saw it all. Even those who have not been here. Every square metre was scanned from space. These are such large-scale exercises that only madmen can fail to see them. And the fact that they did not come on purpose is such a petty, insane position.”
Science to protect
The ‘Zapad-2021’ exercise was of a planned, defensive nature and is the final stage in the system of joint training of the Armed Forces of Belarus and Russia this year. In accordance with the preparation plan, it took place from September 10th-16th in Belarus and Russia.
Obuz-Lesnovsky, Domanovsky, Ruzhansky and Brest training areas were involved on the territory of Belarus. The manoeuvres were attended by 12,800 military personnel, including about 2,500 Russian and up to 50 Kazakh servicemen from the CSTO Collective Rapid Response Forces, as well as up to 350 armoured vehicles, including 140 tanks, up to 110 artillery units and multiple launch rocket systems, more than 30 aircraft and helicopters.
What did the President talk about to the participants of the ‘Zapad-2021’ exercise
• This is one of the most important training activities of the Armed Forces, held against the backdrop of the ongoing hybrid aggression from the West against Belarus and Russia. We see new risks and challenges on the west of the Union State, the aggravation of the situation on the borders of the CSTO member states. The training environment created allows us to improve the skills of joint military operations to repel aggression.
• The actions during the exercise clearly confirmed the high state of readiness of the armies of our states and the Belarusian people to act together to ensure their sovereignty and independence. We have once again seen the effectiveness of the established system of territorial defence.
• You — ordinary workers, real men — have shown your readiness to defend your native land and your people at the right time. You should know: I established territorial troops so that you could protect yourselves, your families, your children and the native land on which you live and work today.
By Yevgeny Kononovich, Polina Konoga
