Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Minsk, April 1 (Xinhua) — Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko spoke of escalating events and threats developing in close proximity to the Belarusian border. The statement was made Wednesday during a meeting summarizing the results of a comprehensive inspection of the Belarusian armed forces. The press service of the Belarusian leader released the information.
A. Lukashenko noted that the recent inspection of the armed forces was routine, but the first of its kind in the country's history. He stated that the purpose of the inspection was to assess how military units, having been put on full combat readiness, would operate under wartime conditions.
"And in this audience (and not only in this one) people must understand: we are absolutely against war. Especially our officers, our soldiers, our armed forces. Because we know what war is. We don't want war, but that's what the army is for. If someone suddenly decides to talk to us and look at us through the sights of a gun, we will respond. And that's what we're preparing for," A. Lukashenko emphasized.
Belarusian military units and permanent readiness units from the Western and Northwestern Operational Commands, special operations forces, the Air Force, and air defense forces were involved in the monitoring activities. "Further, on my instructions, we will activate a separate unit, augment its strength if necessary, and truly learn to fight," the Belarusian leader added.
"The level of tasks, the pace of their formulation and implementation—all of this is determined by the seriousness of the geopolitical situation, the escalating events and threats that are developing in close proximity to our borders. And not only our borders," he noted.
A. Lukashenko also stated that the country's army currently numbers 70,000 personnel (100,000 including the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other units). In the event of an armed conflict, Belarus could increase its troop strength to 500,000 personnel.
A large-scale inspection of the Belarusian armed forces, ordered by A. Lukashenko, was conducted in the country beginning January 16, 2026. A key feature of the inspection was its organization: the Belarusian head of state placed military units on combat alert, bypassing the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff. The events were carried out unexpectedly.
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