President has announced elimination of tension on border with Ukraine

President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko has visited the 56th anti-aircraft missile regiment in Luninets District, Brest Region

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At first, the Head of State visited the regiment’s command post, where he was briefed on the performance of air defence duty missions. After that, the President moved to the regiment’s headquarters. Aleksandr Lukashenko, flanked by the defence minister, toured the premises and studied the infrastructure and the regiment’s vehicle park. 
Aleksandr Lukashenko spoke in detail about the situation at the southern border, which had been one of the hottest topics lately, at a rally in the run-up to Independence Day on July 2nd. “In no way should we allow any escalation or aggravation. I want the Ukrainian leadership to hear me. The concentration of troops, albeit insignificant, is very dangerous during combat operations. We have analysed the situation. We understand perfectly well that we need no aggravation and we have always said it. Ukrainians understand that we will retaliate,” the Head of State noted.
Aleksandr Lukashenko warned Ukrainians against provoking conflict, emphasising dangerous consequences. The President stated that Belarus increased security measures at the border, including deploying special operations forces and putting Belarus’ and Russia’s air forces and air defence systems on high alert. The Belarusian leader also mentioned that the Polonez and Iskander missile systems were ready for action. “No red lines. There will be a strike with all types of weapons on predetermined targets,” the Belarusian leader made it clear. At the same time, the Head of State assured the public that there would be no clashes at the border with Ukraine and urged everyone to carry on with their daily tasks. “I would like to tell you not to worry. I guarantee that we will not allow any clashes at the border with Ukraine. This will not happen,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said at the rally in early July.
The President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, held a meeting to discuss the country’s military security in the southern operational district. Taking part in the meeting were State Secretary of the Security Council Aleksandr Volfovich, KGB Chairman Ivan Tertel, Minister of Internal Affairs Ivan Kubrakov, Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Pavel Muraveiko, Chairman of the State Border Committee Konstantin Molostov, Commander of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces Vadim Denisenko, Commander of the Air Force and Air Defence Andrei Lukyanovich.
“The State Security Committee and the military intelligence have reported to me that after we had taken action, the Ukrainians withdrew their armed forces and additional troops from our border (there were thousands of people there) and overall from the Belarus-Ukraine border area. In other words, the troops that were meant to bolster their military presence have left the border,” the Head of State stressed. “That is indeed the case. I have checked with the personnel and this regiment [the 56th anti-aircraft missile regiment in Luninets District]. Both the defence minister and the personnel have confirmed that now we have no tensions with the Ukrainians, and I hope there won’t be any,” added Aleksandr Lukashenko.

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The Head of State emphasised that Belarus did not want that increase in tension, and it definitely does not need it now. “Ukraine is even less interested in this. They have plenty of other problems,” the President remarked. The Belarusian leader recalled that a serious escalation at the southern border had been detected a couple of weeks ago, causing great concern among the population and prompting the Head of State to take responsive measures. 
Aleksandr Lukashenko addressed that issue following his official speech at the meeting in the run-up to Independence Day. “I tried to the best of my ability to assuage people’s concerns, to assure people that there would be no war and that we would prevent any further escalation on our border. After all, it is our duty, the duty of people in uniform, to make sure that the situation is calm so our people can keep working and harvesting. By the way, the harvest this year is quite good. In other words, people were very anxious. Therefore, the decision was made to deploy several military units to the border, including our special operations forces. Our border guards were mobilised and border security was beefed up. Despite their heavy workload, the country should be protected. Border guards are the only ones who patrol the edges of our country, so it was crucial to reinforce border security with the border troops,” highlighted the President.
Speaking about the increased mobilisation of the special operations forces, Aleksandr Lukashenko noted the tense situation at the southern border, “They are having a tough time at the southern border. The ‘sling arms’ command is given every other day.”
“Thus, we got mobilised, and our troops were also put on alert,” the Head of State remarked. The resulting de-escalation suggests that the Head of State’s promise that the military would ensure peace and security has been fulfilled. “I promised the people that we would handle this situation,” the Belarusian leader added.
Belarus had to respond to the recent escalation at the border with Ukraine by beefing up border security and reinforcing border guards with army units. Following this, Ukraine withdrew its troops from the border area and the tensions subsided. The Head of State emphasised the importance of avoiding unnecessary actions in such situations.

“I have full confidence in our intelligence, and I want people to know that the situation at the Belarus-Ukraine border has been stabilised. Their troops have been withdrawn. Therefore, our troops need to be pulled back from the border, too. It will send them a signal, as we have agreed, that we do not intend to engage in a fight or increase military presence here, except for special operations forces,” the Belarusian leader said.

Deployment site of the 56th anti-aircraft missile regiment     BELTA

Aleksandr Lukashenko gave instructions to Commander of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces Vadim Denisenko to ensure the wellbeing of the troops, “Take care of your guys. Make sure they remain at the designated areas on a rotational basis. Make things more comfortable for them given such a heat wave. We need several people at these designated facilities on a rotational basis. The rest should be taken to their permanent deployment sites.”
The President ordered the Defence Ministry to assess the situation comprehensively, “If the withdrawal of troops from certain areas is feasible, go ahead. There should not be any unnecessary moves.”  
In addition, Aleksandr Lukashenko cautioned everyone against overlooking possible threats from the West. “Having previously alerted you to this, we have observed the need to remain vigilant towards the West. There is a build-up going on in that direction. Therefore, the personnel stationed in the northwestern district should be ready for any eventuality. There are attempts to provoke us in order to drag us into this conflict, this war,” the Belarusian leader emphasised.
Aleksandr Lukashenko aims to confer with Russian President Vladimir Putin on further steps regarding Ukraine. “They [people in Ukraine] look askance at us, they vilify us. They stop short of calling us enemies. We are not enemies for Ukrainians. I have reiterated this multiple times. They are our kin. They are like us, like Russians, we need to come to terms quickly. It is absolutely possible. However, for this it is necessary to embark on talks. If there is no dialogue, no conversation, there will be escalation and loss of lives,” the Belarusian leader underlined.
Commenting on the intense heat wave that gripped the region, Aleksandr Lukashenko noted, “What is it like to fight in forty-degree heat... It is scary to even step outside, let alone engage in combat fully geared, with a bulletproof vest. This is an unbearable torture for the military. Not to mention people dying.” 

“Therefore, the recent de-escalation in the Belarus-Ukraine border area can serve as an example of how it is possible to come to an agreement through dialogue. This indicates that there are enough sensible people in Ukraine, especially among the military. We have arrived at an agreement. I think this is a good example for the Ukrainians. The Russians are ready to sit down at the negotiating table and strike a deal. Negotiate and come to terms. 

So far, the Ukrainians pushed by NATO — as evident from the recent NATO summit — have been fighting till the last Ukrainian is left standing. It is a shame. Indeed, it is imperative to embark on talks. I think we will soon discuss these problems with Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin at a meeting where we will thrash out our plans going forward,” Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out. 

Based on materials of sb.by