BREST, 12 February (BelTA) – State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Aleksandr Volfovich visited a unit of the 38th Independent Guards Air Assault Brigade on 12 February. The military personnel were busy carrying out missions outside their permanent station as part of the ongoing snap inspection of Belarus’ Armed Forces, BelTA has learned.
In accordance with the plan of the Armed Forces’ inspection authorized by the head of state the 38th brigade was brought to the highest state of readiness on 10 February. Its units are carrying out missions in various locations. The duty company has left for a concentration area. The soldiers marched during the night and travelled for over 50km. While on the move they had to deal with drones and ambushes of the enemy. After occupying a node of resistance the paratroopers set up positions, weapon emplacements, and communication systems. Now they have to hold on to the line of defense and prevent the simulated enemy from breaking across it.
"After we took control of the fortified area, there was an attempt to capture the company strongpoint the following night. The enemy kept harassing us, and the firefight lasted for an hour. They tried to find our weak spots, crawl through, and sometimes got blown up on simulated minefields. The personnel valiantly repelled the attack,” said the commander of the special operations unit. During the inspection the paratroopers train and hone their skills. “We set up the first and second lines of defense as well as cut-off lines, so that if the enemy breaks through, we can counterattack and regain control of the first line of our trenches,” the commander explained.
It can be said that the soldiers are tested not only by a simulated enemy, but also by the weather. “It’s hard, with temperatures fluctuating between below zero and above zero but we are ready to endure and carry out our tasks as intended. The service is organized in three shifts. Some serve directly in combat positions. The second shift is on standby and ready to immediately jump into action while the third shift rests,” noted the soldier.
Aleksandr Volfovich assessed how this unit of the 38th brigade is coping with its tasks. “The experience of [Russia’s] special military operation [in Ukraine] is used. Because now they are fighting as small units, small groups in different directions,” the state secretary of the Security Council emphasized. “For two days now the soldiers have been fighting the potential enemy. This time we have deployed forces and assets of the internal troops as that enemy. The personnel are also quite well trained. The two opposing sides are conducting a training firefight. The task of one side is to prevent a breakthrough while the other side is supposed to break through and reach a specified area of terrain or a specified facility.”
According to Aleksandr Volfovich, the commanding officers and personnel know their tasks. He also noticed some shortcomings. “There are nuances that we have to pay attention to, but this is both a test and a learning experience. We need to learn in such conditions. God forbid, of course, that there be real combat operations, as in Ukraine. We monitor this experience and incorporate it into combat training programs,” the state secretary of the Security Council assured.
Such a test allows one to see the level of training of the personnel, how military personnel are trained to counter drones and detect sabotage and reconnaissance groups. No aspect is left unattended. “Now they are taking an exam that is leaning heavily to tactical and special training. Ahead of them are control classes in firearms training and physical endurance tests. They will have to complete strength exercises and endurance exercises such as forced marches, pull-ups, and push-ups,” Aleksandr Volfovich enumerated.
He noted that it is too early to draw conclusions about the inspection. The state secretary of the Security Council is visiting units in the locations where they are busy carrying out missions. “On the whole, the impression is positive. Of course, there are minor details. Everything is being recorded by officials from the complex group of the State Secretariat of the Security Council for an overall analysis and summary, for a review in order to correct something, to make it even better than it is,” Aleksandr Volfovich summed it up.
Follow us on:
