MINSK, 10 August (BelTA) – The state border protection system meets today's requirements. State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Aleksandr Volfovich made the statement after the second stage of a tactical exercise involving military personnel of the Western Operational Command ended in the exercise area Gozhsky, BelTA has learned.
The official said: “The state border protection system meets contemporary requirements and ensures the country's protection from foreign infringements. The facts that unfortunately happen at the Lithuanian border and the Polish one dishonor our colleagues, our neighbors. Here is a fresh example: Lithuanian border guard personnel carried a pregnant woman [to the border line] and just left her there. What democratic values are you talking about? What morals? This action is beyond anything we can imagine. Certainly, Belarusian border guard personnel cannot leave a person to die. Medical aid has already been provided. It is simply outside the morals of Belarusian people.”
The state secretary noted that plans on improving the border infrastructure are being fulfilled. New video surveillance systems and technical solutions for guarding the border are being purchased. Depending on the situation in a border section border service units guard it in normal mode or enhanced mode. “On the whole, our border is reliably secured,” he added. “We see what is happening over the border, how our Lithuanian colleagues treat people, including migrants and other trespassers. We see what is happening at the Polish border. Polish colleagues are now trying to mimic Lithuanian colleagues. Yesterday the head of state said: don't seek a confrontation but look for ways out until we cross the red line. We are neighbors. We are destined to live together whether someone likes it or not. Belarusians have a very good attitude to Lithuanians, Latvians, Poles because they are our neighbors. We had normal good neighborly relations. Attempts to raise tensions and provoke our border guard personnel will produce nothing good. We will discharge our duties. The border service will protect our borders and will let no one enter the country.”
On 3-12 August the Grodno branch of the Belarusian border service is carrying out a tactical exercise that involves three stages. The main goals of the exercise is to improve combat and mobilization readiness of the regional branch of the border service, increase the readiness level of the local command and control bodies amid growing threats to border security and military security.
Local border service reservists have already been mobilized, with over 160 personnel recalled to active service. The main purpose of the reserve is to enhance the border security and provide all kinds of support to routine operations.
For two days reservists of the Grodno branch of the Belarusian border service went through various kinds of training as part of a combat shakedown in the training facility Belyany. As part of the refresher course the reservists had to relearn their border service skills. The training facility offers practical classes focusing on border service tactics, combined arms training, special training, and firearms training.
After the refresher course in the training facility Belyany the reservists were distributed across border service units where they practiced finding, detecting, blocking, and eliminating an armed unit that had infiltrated into Belarus from another country. The drill proceeded in complicated and dynamic conditions in order to imitate a real situation. The reservists accomplished their tasks successfully. The organization and enforcement of border access restrictions will be practiced during the third stage of the exercise.
A set of operative and preventive measures is being implemented in populated localities near the border in association with entities entrusted with providing operational support to border security efforts.
Apart from that, according to the scenario of the exercise local residents will tip the authorities about the location of an illegal armed unit. This tip will be verified and border service units will work together to block and eliminate a group of armed people, who illegally infiltrated into Belarus' territory.
State Secretary of the Security Council Aleksandr Volfovich concluded he was satisfied with the organization of the exercise and with the performance of the troops. He said he was confident that border guard personnel and other defense, security, and law enforcement bodies can carry out their assigned missions.
