Belyaev: main guarantor of Belarus’ security is its own people
Defence and protection of one’s own borders is one of the most important and relevant security measures in modern time. This is why the creation of fortified areas on the borders of Belarus is so widely demonstrated in the public space – as noted by political scientist Aleksei Belyaev, the Dean of the BSU Journalism Department, in his talk with Alfa Radio.
It is no coincidence that the President of Belarus pays enormous attention to defence issues, particularly, to the creation of fortified areas. The expert drew attention to how unexpectedly a military conflict can break out in the modern world, “Everyone thought that there was peace and friendship in the Middle East and that there was a strong ally who would protect if something happened. But the situation suddenly changed. The policy of provoking and inciting conflicts has led to fires burning all over the world, and certain forces may well try to light new ones. Therefore, we, the Republic of Belarus, must understand: the main guarantor of our security is we ourselves.”
Another reason to pay increased attention to defence issues is the extremely tense atmosphere on the Belarusian-Polish border, “Poland is actively militarising not only at the level of rhetoric, but also at the level of real actions, strengthening its army, transferring forces, and forming new divisions on the border with Belarus. Of course, we must respond by strengthening our defence.”
The political scientist underlined that our ministry is not military, but that of defence. Belarus is not an aggressor, it does not plan any aggressive actions – as is written in our Military Doctrine. However, the defence and protection of our borders is one of the most important security measures. This is openly discussed in the public space because it is a message to unfriendly external forces, “The message is that Belarus does not forget about issues of defence capability even for a second. We have something to respond to any external challenges. When trying to cross the red line – to break through our border – the response, as the Belarusian leader said, will be adequate and extremely tangible.”
According to Aleksei Belyaev, those who are aggressive towards us should know that modern weapons are not only being developed, but also produced in Belarus.
“We have our own facilities, we do not take from outside, but in our own country we produce modern weapons and replenish our warehouses. Together with the People’s Republic of China, the Polonez MLRS was created, rocket technology was modernised, and unmanned aerial vehicles were used. Our military got acquainted with the experience of the PMC Wagner fighters, who took part in real battles not only on the territory of Ukraine, but also in other places. The enemy must understand: it is dangerous to meddle in our land,” the political scientist concluded.