Opinion: West should be afraid not of Belarus, but of war with it

Military drills and manoeuvres on any country’s own territory with the purpose of troop training and co-ordination are a norm for its Armed Forces, since it is necessary to learn what can be useful in war – as noted by an expert on military security, Aleksandr Tishchenko

“All our concepts and doctrines in the field of military security were defensive, and the goals set by the Belarusian army aimed to prevent war. At the same time, Belarus has always sought to form a belt of good neighbourliness around its borders. Not so long ago, the border guard service did not have military equipment, and its main task was to protect the state border, but time has come to revive a Soviet principle of protection. Military equipment and weapons have returned to the border again – not without reason! Even while we have been demonstrating loyalty and peacefulness over the past twenty years, the Baltic States and Poland have been active NATO training grounds, where an offensive reserve has been accumulating against us,” the expert said.

Mr. Tishchenko added that Belarus has been trying not to focus on this for a long time, but there are limits to everything. The lessons of history also matter. “It teaches that the accumulation of troops near our borders has never been peaceful or defensive in nature. It was so in 1941, and it had been earlier as well. The present situation is no different. However, this time, the West will not succeed in blitzkrieg: our Armed Forces are now ready to fight back both tactically and strategically. Military exercises and manoeuvres on the country’s territory to ensure training and co-ordination of troops are a norm, and we will learn what is necessary in a war. We will not stop the exercises. Everyone should be ready for a war: not only the army, but also the civilian complex. We are not preparing a war: the latter is being prepared to involve us. We have officially announced that we will not attack anyone. Has any of our neighbours ever said that? No. Everything suggests that the combat readiness and combat capability of the army in modern conditions is the number one issue, and to remove the latter from the agenda would mean planning of a defeat. The West should be afraid not of us, but of a war with us. That will be enough for us,” the expert stated.