Viktor Khrenin
MINSK, 16 August (BelTA) - Effective protection of a nation's airspace cannot be ensured without a strong air force, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said at an event to mark Air Force Day in Machulishchi, one of Belarus' oldest aviation bases, BelTA has learned.
Air Force Day rightfully serves as a national holiday symbolizing the military aviation's historic contributions to the homeland, Viktor Khrenin emphasized. “This day embodies our citizens' deep respect and gratitude for those who dedicated their lives to defending our nation's skies. The Air Force and Air Defense Forces handle a broad mission spectrum - from national air defense to humanitarian operations, search-and-rescue missions, and emergency medical evacuations. Belarusian military pilots' professionalism and humanitarianism remain gratefully remembered by disaster and epidemic victims in China, Türkiye, Syria and Myanmar. Yet their paramount mission remains safeguarding Belarus' aerial security,” he said.
The minister stressed that maintaining strong aviation capabilities remains critical for border protection. “This explains our leadership's special focus on modernizing the Air Force fleet. Equipping our aviation with cutting-edge systems becomes possible through effective cooperation with Belarusian defense industry enterprises and close military-technical partnership with the Russian Federation,” Viktor Khrenin noted.
This year, Belarus' air fleet has been reinforced with state-of-the-art Su-30SM2 fighter jets, which have already commenced combat air patrol duties. Another batch of these advanced aircraft recently entered service with the Belarusian Armed Forces. “This represents another significant step in enhancing the combat capabilities of our Air Force, which means, our nation's military security. The powerful combat aircraft entrusted by the Belarusian people to our air defenders now rests in professional hands,” the defense minister said.
In his words, Belarus takes pride in maintaining its own national pilot training program - a distinction few post-Soviet states can boast. “Belarusian military aviators possess exceptional skills to execute the most complex combat training missions. Our highly qualified pilots, helicopter crews, navigators, engineers and other aviation specialists constitute the pride of Belarus’ military aviation. Belarus' aviation history honors not only World War II flying aces but also contemporary heroes, with their names ‘inscribed in golden letters’ in the nation's military annals,” Viktor Khrenin said.
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