January 24, Pozirk. Alaksandar Łukašenka, commander-in-chief of the Belarusian Armed Forces, on January 23 ordered a mechanized battalion to stand to for a surprise readiness drill involving a 50-kilometer march.
Alaksandar Valfovič, state secretary of the Security Council, said the Belarusian ruler issued the order while bypassing the defense minister.
“The president of the country made the decision to directly, bypassing the Ministry of Defense and the minister of defense, transmit the order through the state secretary of the Security Council to the mechanized brigade commander to place the mechanized brigade on combat alert,” Valfovič said in a video released by the Ministry of Defense.
According to the ministry, the battalion was deployed more than 50 kilometers from its base to conduct exercises focused on countering enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups.
A week earlier, Valfovič announced a comprehensive surprise inspection of the armed forces, to be carried out in several phases.
