MINSK, 2 December (BelTA) – Belarus may increase the number of military personnel in the Armed Forces, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said in an interview with Dmitry Kiselyov, Director General of the Russian state news agency MIA Rossiya Segodnya, BelTA has learned.
According to the president, now the number of the Belarusian Armed Forces is about 65,000 people, and this is enough for the defense of the state. "We are not planning to build up the Armed Forces. That's enough for us," he said.
At the same time, Aleksandr Lukashenko drew attention to the difficult situation on the border with Ukraine. Now Ukraine is conducting a military exercise, involving 10,000 troops. According to their statements, they are drilling combating illegal migration. But, judging by their maneuvers, the goals of the exercise are completely different.
"We now have 65,000 troops. We will probably increase the number to 70,000 as we need to reinforce the border in the south," the head of state said. “Therefore, we have an army of 65,000 today. Most likely, we will need 5,000 more to deploy them there, not fully but partially."
