MINSK, 30 March (BelTA) – No coronavirus cases have been registered in the Belarusian army, BelTA learned from Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin on 30 March.
The defense minister said: “There is no panic. We carry on as usual. So far not a single case of the new coronavirus has been registered in Belarus' Armed Forces.”
In his words, various events are in progress in ten exercise areas in Belarus, with some 7,500 military personnel taking part in the exercises. “They are healthy and capable of carrying out their missions. However, we don't drop our guard. Our sanitary and epidemiological services, medics are in heightened readiness state,” the defense minister assured.
Viktor Khrenin also informed the head of state about preparations for the parade timed to the 75th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, about what forces and assets will be used for the celebration. “There will be a parade, the personnel are getting ready,” he stressed.
The new Belarusian defense minister was appointed in January 2020. In the months since then Viktor Khrenin visited several army units. On 30 March he stressed that the level of military discipline, the current morale and psychological status allow the Belarusian army to carry out any mission. According to the defense minister, at present his efforts are focused on improving the combat readiness and the mobilization readiness of the Belarusian army, on reinforcing discipline and the rule of law, on maintaining armaments and materiel in good order.
BelTA reported earlier that on 30 March Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with State Secretary of the Security Council Andrei Ravkov, Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin, and Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Deputy Head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Belarus Pavel Tikhonov. The conversation focused on the situation at the Belarusian border due to NATO's ongoing Defender Europe 2020 exercise. Apart from that, the head of state wondered about the state of affairs in the Belarusian army.
