MINSK, 26 May (BelTA) - Today, we see centrifugal processes in the situation around Belarus, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said as he addressed the meeting in the Oval Hall of the House of the Government on 26 May, BelTA has learned.
"Today, we see centrifugal processes in the situation around our country. They are characterized by the militarization of neighboring states amid the large-scale information aggression. The main reasons are the aspiration of Nato and the European Union to dictate their will unhindered. The direct consequences of these processes are the high intensity of intelligence activities and operational and combat training of the armed forces of NATO member countries, the build-up of foreign military presence in the neighboring states, and the increase in military expenditures. The intensity of aviation flights in the airspace of neighboring countries and over the Baltic Sea is up to 30 sorties per week. They conduct full depth aerial reconnaissance of our country," Viktor Khrenin said.
According to him, the number of NATO exercises near the borders of Belarus and the personnel involved have been growing steadily. "Over the past year, their effectiveness has increased by more than 1.5 times. In Europe alone they conduct about 20 large exercises involving more than 72,000 troops, about 3,500 units of military equipment, more than 300 aircraft. The most extensive exercise is the Defender-Europe 2021 which involves 24 European states with more than 30,000 troops. A number of offensive-dominated exercises are held in Poland and the Baltic States to practice, among other things, the landing of more than 4,000 airborne troops,” the minister noted.
Numerous demonstration flights of strategic bomber aviation of the U.S. Armed Forces in the airspace of neighboring states causes particular concern. “Last week alone there were three such flights within 30km of our state border. It can be assumed that they are practicing missile and bomb strikes on the strategic facilities of the Republic of Belarus. Our western neighbors continue to build up their military infrastructure in order to receive and deploy NATO troops. The modernization of five airfields has been completed to accommodate up to 200 warplanes. The upgrading of seven more is in progress. This greatly affects the balance of power in the region, which increases the likelihood of the situation developing along the Yugoslavia democracy promotion scenario,” Viktor Khrenin said.
Naval bases and ports are also being modernized to handle landing and attack ships of the alliance. “A facility is being set up in Poland for the storage of the U.S. military equipment. Five fuel and lubricant depots in its territory have been set up, enabling the deployment and uninterrupted supply of a mechanized division. Training centers and firing ranges are being renovated to support the activities of NATO military troops. A NATO battalion has been permanently deployed at the military base in Pabrade, 15km away from the Belarusian border. The alliance can now move forces to the Belarusian border for reinforcing or creating strike groups faster. At the same time, Poland is increasing expenses on defense and building up offensive capabilities of the Polish Armed Forces that will grow 1.5 times by 2025 to 200,000 people,” Viktor Khrenin said.
New units of ground forces are being set up close to the Belarusian border. “They are buying cutting-edge assault equipment. The most recent example is Poland's decision to purchase unmanned aerial vehicles that played a prominent role in the conflicts in Syria and Nagorno-Karabakh. To the south, the Ukrainian authorities have implemented activities to deploy additional military units along the border with Belarus since 2019. In order to demonstrate its readiness to become part of the European Union, Ukraine proposed NATO to use its air space, which NATO does on a regular basis. Amid all this, Belarus is accused of letting the Russian Armed Forces conduct activities in the Belarusian territory,” Viktor Khrenin pointed out.
The tensions surrounding Belarus are mounting, Viktor Khrenin added. “Conditions are put in place for military domination over Belarus. Everything I have just talked about is nothing but preparations for military action. We are concerned about this and believe that we should take retaliatory measures,” he noted.
