Any provocation on the state border will be suppressed by force of arms

The President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, has made a working trip to Oshmyany District, Grodno Region. During a visit to the site, where measures are being carried out to check the combat readiness of formations and military units, the Head of State instructed to respond harshly to possible provocations on the border on the part of the neighbouring states.
“I will say this publicly — any provocation must be suppressed by force of arms. Those who violate the state border will be destroyed,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.

Belta

Commander of the Northwestern Operational Command Aleksandr Naumenko reported that at present the situation across Belarus’ northwestern border remains difficult and tensions are likely to escalate. A testimony to that is the construction of engineering structures, including anti-tank ditches and firing positions across Belarus’ border, as well as material supplies and ammunition that are being amassed in warehouses. 
The neighbouring side has obviously beefed up state border security in the northwestern operational direction (NWOD). Thus, the total number of troops involved in protecting their border with Belarus at that section is about 3,200 people, including up to 2,800 people in Lithuania and up to 500 in Latvia. 
The number of military contingents of NATO countries stationed in the NWOD in order to perform various tasks amounts up to 7,700 people on the territory of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Military units and divisions of NATO joint armed forces, including in the Baltic States and Poland, are engaged in operational and combat training.
Aleksandr Naumenko noted that the Quadriga 2024 exercise is currently being held in a number of countries, including Lithuania and Poland. As part of the ongoing exercise, three battalions (German infantry and mechanised battalions and a US tank battalion) are deployed at the Pabradė Training Area, which is located 15 km from the state border.
At the same time, the battalions stationed at the Pabradė Training Area may be used to carry out provocative actions near the state border with the involvement of sabotage and reconnaissance groups and illegal armed formations. 
Aerial reconnaissance of Belarus is also underway. On average, 4-5 reconnaissance aircraft sorties are recorded daily. Currently, 132 combat aircraft from the NATO air force group are based in the NWOD. 
Aleksandr Lukashenko visited the checkpoint, where he inspected the performance of tasks by the motorised rifle unit. 

During the working trip, the President answered journalists’ questions

According to the Head of State, when developing the army, the focus should be on how modern warfare is conducted, as well as on the specifics of combat operations. Belarus has marshy and forested terrain; therefore, in addition to advanced high-precision weapons, the army also needs conventional weapons and skilful actions of the military personnel in the field.
“We should not forget that in any war, the main task is solved by ordinary soldiers with conventional weapons,” the President emphasised. Electronic warfare systems are also important, including for fighting drones.
Aleksandr Lukashenko drew attention to the fact that back in the day Belarus did not abandon conventional weapons, which, as evidenced in practice, are in demand and effective in modern military conflicts. Nevertheless, Belarus has modern air defence systems that are capable of hitting enemy air targets.   
During the conversation with journalists, Aleksandr Lukashenko commented on the allegations on Russia and Belarus’ plans to attack the West. “It is complete nonsense. Today we show them that we are not going to attack them. We are building a defence system here,” the Head of State assured. “What war against NATO troops are they talking about? We do not need it. Yet, they are waiting for it. They are provoking us to respond. Take the recent sending of sabotage groups across the Ukrainian border through Belarus. Why are they doing this?” Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out that NATO forces, including military personnel from the United States and Germany, are currently stationed at the Pabradė Training Area in Lithuania.  
“They are foreigners to that country. Do you think that Germans and Americans will defend Lithuania in case of a clash with Belarusians and Russians? Such things have never happened before. And they are not going to do that. With the first slightest predicament they will run away from the battlefield — and it will be the right thing to do. Their land is in Germany and the USA. No mercenaries will solve any issue in this case,” the Head of State underlined.
The President spoke in a similar vein about the situation on the part of Ukraine and mentioned talks about the deployment of French military personnel there, “There are 120,000 Ukrainian soldiers close to our border now. They want to take them away and send them to the war against Russia. And here, they want to deploy French or NATO troops on our southern border. This will benefit us as they will not defend Ukraine the way Ukrainians are defending it now. We are not going to fight against them. I have always said and continue to say — we do not need anything which is not ours, but we will not give away what belongs to us. This is our logic. Why do we need to stand head-on and fight against each other? We are just being dragged into it and provoked, while the interested parties are far away. They would then come here, to the ashes, print dollars and restore these lands, but not in the interests of our peoples. Neither Lithuanian, nor Polish, nor Belarusian ones.” 
The Head of State was asked whether Belarus needs to take any additional security measures after the tragic events in Moscow Region. Aleksandr Lukashenko replied that currently, all necessary measures ensuring security are already implemented in our country when organising mass events with the participation of a large number of people. Another important aspect is to ensure that facilities are equipped with video cameras. Thus, thanks to their availability, it was possible to track and identify the car with terrorists near the Crocus City Hall.  
After the tragedy, some media outlets did not rule out the possibility that the terrorists were going to hide in Belarus through Bryansk Region. Aleksandr Lukashenko categorically denied these assumptions, “They could not go to Belarus. Their handlers — we have suspicions about some of them, I will call Putin to share my suspicions — knew that it would be a very bad idea to try to enter Belarus, because as soon as a part of the Russian region switched to an enhanced security regime, we immediately did the same in our country. In the very first minutes, the Chairman of the KGB [State Security Committee], who is engaged in anti-terrorist activities, reported to me that we had activated our units according to the combat situation. In particular, the Interior Ministry’s forces were involved, roadblocks were set up, including on the border with Russia, the KGB staff, the State Border Committee, and some military personnel were involved. That is why there was no chance they could enter Belarus. They realised it. So they took a turn and headed to the Ukraine-Russia border,” the Head of State clarified. According to the President, the operation to detain the perpetrators was carried out on a high professional level.
The Head of State emphasised the effective and harmonious interaction between Belarus and Russia after the terrorist attack. “The interaction between Belarusians and Russians is worth a lot,” Aleksandr Lukashenko gave his assessment.  
The President explained that immediately after the terrorist attack, the special services of the two countries acted in line with the established algorithm, as determined by the Presidents of Belarus and Russia. “Bortnikov and Tertel got in touch, they jumped into action, they reported to us. From that moment on, the issues that concerned us, the President of Russia and the President of Belarus, were raised repeatedly during our communication,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted. As soon as the Heads of the two states received information from the intelligence services that the car with the terrorists was moving in the direction of Bryansk, it was agreed that Belarus would block its section of the road that could be used by the criminals, and the Russian side would do the same on its section.”  
During the conversation with journalists, Aleksandr Lukashenko also spoke about the flight of the Belarusian cosmonaut to the ISS, “It is not just the image. This is a whole industry. I am rejoicing together with you that we have reached the pinnacle in space. We have truly become a space power.”
The Head of State thanked the Russian side and Vladimir Putin personally for assisting in the preparation and organisation of the Belarusian cosmonaut’s flight and resolving financing issues.
When communicating with reporters, the President also pointed out,  

“Belarus is the world’s most peace-loving country. We only want peace. There is no need to rebuke us by saying we are going to fight against the West. Similarly, no one in Russia is going to fight with NATO. However, if they try something in this direction, the answer will be instantaneous. We will all rise up like Brest Fortress.” 

Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by