Tactical ploy

The President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, got acquainted with the organisation of the production of rockets in Belarus during his working trip to the Minsk Region

After arriving at one of the enterprises of the military-industrial complex in Minsk Region the Head of State asked if the responsible persons had fulfilled the task on launching the production of domestic ammunition.
“Dear Comrade Commander-in-Chief, your instruction to set up the production of the most in-demand types of ammunition in the Republic of Belarus have been fulfilled,” Chairman of the State Authority for Military Industry Dmitry Pantus said. According to him, the relevant work started in November 2022, and today the enterprises affiliated with the State Authority for Military Industry and the Industry Ministry produce more than 50 parts for this type of ammunition. 
The Head of State was briefed on the launch of mass production of RS-122mm rockets in Belarus. Then Aleksandr Lukashenko got acquainted with the technological process of assembling rockets and noted that today not only high-precision modern weapons play an important role in clashes, but also simpler ones — machine guns, automatic guns, grenade launchers. 
“Rockets, high-precision weapons, jets, helicopters, Leopards, Bradleys are destroyed in the same way as Soviet tanks and infantry fighting vehicles (we have recently seen this during the first stage of the counteroffensive)... It is good that we have decided against expensive things which we would not be able to produce, but would have had to buy. On the ground, all this armament and also machine guns and grenade launchers solve very big problems. 

Without these [simpler weapons] there will be no victory on the frontline,” the President stressed.

According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, armament such as, for example, multiple launch rocket systems, Shkval torpedo systems (modernised Grad systems) are in demand today. Ammunition is also needed for them.


Mass production of ammunition has been launched in Belarus following the President’s instruction. Very soon this production will reach its full capacity.
The President paid special attention to ammunition storage conditions. He recalled that the country still had many storage facilities for nuclear weapons which remained from the past. After assuming the office of the President, Aleksandr Lukashenko visited one of these storage facilities, which then housed ammunition for the Topol systems. Then, amid a difficult economic situation and under significant external pressure, the President had to make the decision to renounce nuclear weapons. 
“In the light of the current situation we have to bring them back,” the Head of State said.


After visiting the enterprise, Aleksandr Lukashenko spoke with media representatives. Reporters noticed that according to the Western mass media, Russia is seeking to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus ahead of the NATO summit in Vilnius on July 11th-12th. They interpret these actions as an attempt at nuclear blackmail. The President was asked to dot the I’s and explain why Belarus needs nuclear weapons and what the conditions for their storage and use are.
“It is not about Russia at all,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. He stressed that nuclear weapons will be deployed in Belarus at his personal request to Russia to guarantee the security of the country.


“First I asked the Russian President, then insisted in a friendly manner that they give me back these weapons [tactical not strategic]. They’d be enough for the time being,” the Head of State explained.
According to the President, currently there is no need to deploy strategic nuclear weapons, for example, the Russian Topol missiles in Belarus.
The Belarusian leader added, “Topol is an intercontinental missile. Am I going to fight the United States? No, I am not. These [tactical nuclear] weapons are enough for me for now. 

That was my request. It was not Russia that imposed this decision on me. Why? Because, as you all say, no one has even fought with a nuclear power. I do not want anybody to fight with us. Is there such a threat? Yes, there is. I have to prevent this threat.”

The President recalled that one of his first proposals to Russia was to equip several Belarusian multiple-launch rocket systems Polonez with nuclear warheads. The task turned out to be too complicated. Therefore, the decision was taken to prepare storage facilities and deploy tactical nuclear weapons. 
The conditions created for the storage of such weapons, with all necessary requirements met, are comparable to a surgery block in a hospital, the Head of State said. Belarus fulfilled all the requirements, and even the Russian representatives were surprised to see everything done at such a high level. 
Speaking about the reasons for the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, the President said, 

“Why do we need them? To make sure not a single foreign soldier sets their foot on the Belarusian land again.”

The reason for the use of such weapons, according to him, can be only one — an aggression against Belarus, “A response will be immediate. I have declared this several times already.”
However, of course, we would like to avoid situations where it would have to be applied. 
“God forbid that I have to make a decision to use these weapons. But there will be no hesitation in the event of an aggression against us,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.
Speaking about the elections in the United States, the Head of State noted that it is not that important as to who will become the next candidate and win the election race, “Biden or somebody else. He does what they say. Does he make his own decisions? Appropriate people make decisions. So the unbelievable things can happen there.”
According to polls, Joe Biden is losing to Donald Trump. But this fact does not mean anything, the President stressed.
Aleksandr Lukashenko noted, “We have seen how they hold elections in the United States. By mail or for money. It’s a nightmare! We are innocent. Our ‘dictatorship’ is innocent compared to their ‘democratic’ elections. It’s a nightmare. If all these nuances are taken into account, then we see that anything can happen there. But if Trump wins… 

Everyone says nice things when campaigning. An election campaign is one thing. Solving issues is a whole another story.

The machine in the United States is working, and no President will be able to go against this machine. His powers are different to, for example, those of Lukashenko or Putin.”

At the same time, the Head of State believes that Donald Trump is more decisive and can make decisions in defiance of those who control the situation, “He will have to fulfil his promises to end the war (in part, if not in full). He put it too directly: ‘I would end the way in a day’. We will root for him to come to power and stop the NATO machine, which is fighting against Russia today.”
The President also told reporters why he decided to pardon Roman Protasevich and Sofia Sapega.
“As for Roman Protasevich, everything is clear here. Certain conditions were set before him. Keeping in mind what happened before and after, we agreed with him on certain things. This man did everything he promised. He did it not because he wanted to save his life or avoid going to jail. No, this is not the case. He admitted that what he did was wrong. He did not take part in combat, he did not kill anyone. We checked it,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
The situation with Sofia Sapega was different. She is a Russian citizen, and there were plans to extradite her to Russia before the trial. But the process dragged on, the Head of State said. The President added that her parents were kept in the loop.
“Some say, she fell in love and decided to get involved. Yes, she is guilty. But she is not our citizen, we have enough of our own. But morally: she fell in love with a guy, and after that he was pardoned and released, and the girl will serve time there?” said the President.
During a visit of Governor of Russia’s Primorye Territory Oleg Kozhemyako to Belarus, the decision was taken to pardon Sofia Sapega so that she could return home.
Answering reporters’ questions, Aleksandr Lukashenko commented on the rumours about the disease he had suffered, “Everything that has been written is a lie.”
The President said that he had an adenovirus. This is a fairly common disease. 
“Not as contagious as the coronavirus, but there is nothing good and pleasant about it. These are lies. Don’t believe them. I was on my feet, running, jumping, even playing hockey. But I realised that working through it was not a good idea because it takes longer to recover. This is what happened to me. Don’t worry, I’m very much alive and intend to stay that way!”

Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by
Photos by belta