MINSK, 30 October (BelTA) – From the military point of view neither Belarus nor Russia needs a Russian airbase deployed in the Belarusian territory. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko made the statement during the conference for Belarusian army officers on 30 October, BelTA has learned.
The head of state remarked that there are on-duty air defense units in Belarus in time of peace. The units include a Russian component. Every day Belarusian MiG-29 fighter jets and Russian Su-27 fighter jets stand by at the airfield in Baranovichi. “They do their jobs to protect the state border in the air space, including for the sake of protecting the Russian Federation,” said the Belarusian leader.
“We are not trying to hide the fact that if Belarus faces military aggression, which equals to aggression against Russia, the joint regional military group will be brought to bear. It means that in addition to our armed forces major forces of the Russian army, including a large number of Russian aircraft, will be deployed to Belarus in accordance with the plan, which is no secret either. But only if there is a conflict or an imminent conflict,” stressed the President. He added that for that purpose Belarusian airfields stand by to receive hundreds of aircraft, including those of the Russian Federation for the sake of ensuring the protection of Russia and Belarus.
“I believe that all this hype in mass media has purely political reasons behind it,” said Alexander Lukashenko.
In his opinion, the deployment of a Russian airbase in Belarus would bring more disadvantages than advantages to Belarus and Russia.
