MINSK, 26 May (BelTA) – Plans have been made to create the Southern Operational Command as part of Belarus' Armed Forces. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the statement during the conference held at premises of the Defense Ministry on 26 May to discuss military security, BelTA has learned.
Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “Regretfully, a new direction has opened, a new front as they say, and we cannot neglect it. We've already talked a bit about it. Back then the defense minister suggested opening a new operational command on the southern flank, in the southern direction of our country. Back in 2021. Back then we understood that something had to be done but time forced us so dynamically and promptly to immediately create this operational command. There will be a southern wing in addition to the western one and the southwestern one.”
The president stated that the Belarusian army has to take care of defending these borders fast, on-the-go now without even creating an operational command on the southern flank.
“You can see it: a rotation is in progress of the armed forces, special operations forces (the western and northwestern directions), battalion tactical groups, which according to my decision were sent to the south and now cover it together with border service troops. We have to perform this rotation, it is my strict requirement, and use it to ‘break in' our military personnel. It is a condition of war time. But without a war for now. I feel and get reports that the guys are behaving decently. We also have to practice planning in these conditions. We have to make plans how we will act if a war happens, god forbid,” he stressed.
