BREST, 12 September (BelTA) – A reinforced paratrooper battalion practiced combat actions and special actions as part of a command and staff exercise in the military exercise area Brestsky on 12 September. Foreign military attachés watched the tactical episode of the exercise, BelTA has learned.
According to the scenario of the exercise, militants and so-called self-defense units captured part of the territory of the state. The army was ordered to push away the enemy and restore the country's territorial integrity. Personnel of the 38th Brest Air Assault Brigade supported by tank units, anti-armor units, missile artillery assets, air defense units, and drones took part in the exercise.
An air fight was part of the tactical episode. Su-30SM jet fighters were deployed to support paratroopers. They had to fight a mobile battle in close proximity to the enemy. Meanwhile, Yak-130 aircraft delivered a strike on the enemy's positions. The pilots had a difficult job because the state border is nearby. The pilots had to demonstrate precision in flying along designated routes and finding and destroying designated targets. UAVs were used for aerial reconnaissance. Missile artillery and cannons delivered a strike on the enemy's positions. Tanks, including modernized T-72 tanks, were deployed to suppress the enemy.
The military personnel also practiced saving the crew of a damaged armored personnel carrier BTR-80. The injured needed medical aid and prompt evacuation from the battlefield. As the final stage of the tactical episode the troops had to assault a population center and push away the enemy.
Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, First Deputy Defense Minister of Belarus, Major-General Viktor Gulevich said: “Two days of the exercise are left to go. But one can say that the designated goals are being successfully achieved. We intended to test the stability of the troops control system. We indeed managed to keep the command and control system stable against the enemy's active reconnaissance actions. The results indicate we will be able to accomplish tasks in various scenarios.”
Military attachés from 14 countries (Austria, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Hungary, Vietnam, Germany, Kazakhstan, Peru, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Syria, USA, and Türkiye) watched the exercise in the exercise area Brestsky. The military attaché of the German embassy said: “I think it was the largest and most important exercise of the year. It was the first time I'd seen such a tactical group. In my opinion, it was professional work. I am glad I've been here. Today's situation in the world, particularly in this region, is complicated, this is why a dialogue between us is very important. The Defense Ministry has already said it is a defensive exercise. It is true. We did see the defensive nature. It was simply an exercise, not a very large force grouping. I think it is no danger for the West and Ukraine.”
Head of the International Military Cooperation Department, Aide for International Military Cooperation to the Belarusian Defense Minister Valery Revenko added that the exercise in the Brestsky exercise area was not on the list of exercises to be monitored within the framework of the Vienna Document. There was no need for Belarus to notify and invite foreigners to watch the exercise. “We've invited the military attachés as a gesture of good will, a demonstration of the defensive nature of the exercise,” he noted.
