Lukashenko: border service needs improvement and further progress
When deciding on the appointment of the Head of the Grodno Border Group, Konstantin Molostov, as Chairman of the State Border Committee, President Aleksandr Lukashenko stated the need to improve the border service
The Head of the President Administration, Igor Sergeyenko, described Konstantin Molostov as an experienced officer who had passed serious training. He headed Polotsk’s Border Guard, worked as Deputy Head of the Brest Border Group, served in the Lida and Gomel border guards.
“What about his weaknesses?” Aleksandr Lukashenko asked immediately. “It seems everything is fine, he is an ideal person. Why did he serve in Grodno until now in this case? If there are any points of weakness, tell me. If you have not yet studied them, then tell me as well. Otherwise, the situation might repeat in the same way as in healthcare: everything is fine, but there are a lot of problems.”
“I consider the lack of work experience in the central office to be one of the weaknesses,” the State Secretary of the Security Council, Aleksandr Volfovich, responded. “In this case, he is overpassing the position of deputy chairman of the State Border Committee. Meanwhile, I consider that – based on his work experience and education – the officer will quickly understand the operational environment.”
It later became clear that Konstantin Molostov had passed military service in the Central Asian Border District, serving also as a border outpost officer for eight years.
“This means he was an ordinary border guard and also headed an outpost. Right?” Aleksandr Lukashenko clarified. “Well, he is a real border guard in this case. What relation does the central office have then? We need border guards on, roughly speaking, the green border.”
According to the Head of State, people are closely watching these troops not because the President served there. “Although it also matters,” Aleksandr Lukashenko added. “Differently speaking, I know what the border is. Therefore, when coming to the border, I know where to go, I know the types of border guards and how they serve. Our border troops have been working intensively lately. They had to deal with illegal immigrants a lot. Poles and Lithuanians continue throwing dead migrants across the border [to the Belarusian territory]. Well, the Lord will deal with them. It's their problem, not ours. Nevertheless, the border service should be further improved. We should not forget the Soviet experience, and we need to adapt it to the current situation – so that it does not happen in the way we observe in education.”
Speaking about the current development of the border service, Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed, “It is not bad, but we must perfect ourselves and go forward.”
The former Chairman of the State Border Committee, Anatoly Lappo, has been discharged to the reserve, but Aleksandr Lukashenko called him ‘not a stranger’. “He is a very competent, intelligent, real military man. We’ll see. After having a rest, he will go to work or to service,” the Head of State said.
