NUCLEAR POWER IN BELARUS AND WORLDWIDE
GOMEL, 26 May (BelTA) – Territorial defense is turning from a support system into a full-fledged combat force, Defense Minister Lieutenant-General Viktor Khrenin said at the opening of the training session “Military security and defense of the Republic of Belarus” in Gomel on 26 May, BelTA has learned.
The annual training session in Gomel is chaired by Viktor Khrenin. Taking part in it are the governors and the Minsk mayor, military commissars of the regions and the capital city. According to the defense minister, the training session is taking place for the ninth time already. Such sessions are held upon the decision of the head of state to increase the level of knowledge of the regional authorities and the Minsk city administration about matters related to national defense, including territorial defense. “It is for a reason that Gomel Oblast was chosen as a venue for this gathering this year. We all are witnessing the conflict that is taking place between Russia and Ukraine, the conflict that was artificially created and is being orchestrated by the United States and Great Britain using the resources of Europe. As a result, right at our borders, on our doorstep, peaceful people are dying, our brothers on the two sides,” he said. The defense minister recalled the words of the president who said that the Belarusian peacefulness is not synonymous to sacrifice, and in case of an aggression, the response will be quick and tough.
Viktor Khrenin also noted that the ongoing military and political developments in the world and around Belarus prompt the country to pay close attention to its defense capability. “We are studying and analyzing the developments in Ukraine. We can already conclude that the advancing troops are counteracted not only by all available military forces and means of the central government, but also by local authorities, and territorial defense is being transformed from a support system into a full-fledged combat force. This suggests that the administrations of the regions and districts, military commissars and commanders of the troops need to interact more closely,” he said.
The training session is designed to develop knowledge of the leadership of the regional administrations and the Minsk City Hall about joint actions of troops in modern armed conflicts. The program includes theoretical and practical classes, a demonstration of the fight of territorial troops against enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups. The program of the training session includes team and individual pistol shooting competitions.
