Opinion on new Su-30SM2 aircraft: we focus on re-armament to be ready for all challenges

On May 27^th, a batch of Su-30SM2 aircraft arrived at one of the airfields of the Air Force and Air Defence Forces in Belarus. Mi-35 helicopters are scheduled to arrive this week in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus. In his talk with Alfa Radio political scientist Aleksei Dzermant explained the purposes of modernisation and upgrade of the fleet of Belarus’ Armed Forces.

The speaker emphasised that Belarus needs the aircraft for proper protection of its security, “Moreover, we are not purchasing a huge number of weapons. We are gradually modernising the Armed Forces. It is within the bounds of, shall we say, reasonable security measures. This does not indicate that we are developing some massive strike force. On the contrary, all our actions, including the purchase of these weapons, follow defensive logic. We don’t intend to rattle the sabre with these weapons. However, we observe a somewhat different picture among our Western neighbours, where weapons are being purchased in enormous quantities, with additional plans to increase military expenditure up to 5% of GDP. Such a thing indicates a different nature of what's going on there — it's rather offensive measures than defensive ones.”

Сonsidering this, Belarus should not remain indifferent, the political scientist believes, “That is the reason we focus on security alongside our allies: re-armament, modernisation — so that we are ready for all challenges. If we are ready for them, if we have something to respond with, then it means the risks of any conflicts are less after all. Because the psychology they have is this: to push a weak one and to think a whole bunch of times whether it is worth it to somehow bully a strong one.”