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Słonim police trained to suppress protests
July 7, Pozirk. Police in Słonim, a city of 49,000 residents in the Hrodna region, held a drill to hone their skills in suppressing street protests.
According to the Hrodna regional police department, during the exercise, experienced instructors from Hrodna acted as teachers for the local police. Speaking at the event, Kirył Hančaroŭ, chief of the regional police department’s riot control unit, played up its importance, describing such training as the police force’s “strategic task.”
“Increased attention was paid to the maneuverability of tactical groups wearing special protective gear,” the report said. “Under the guidance of riot-control fighters, the guardians of law and order in Słonim honed their skills in using special equipment, including armored shields, until they became automatic. Scenarios of the deployment of combat formations necessary for encircling, containing and breaking up a hypothetical group of violators were modeled in detail.”
Police are being trained to prevent a repeat of the 2020 protests, Interior Minister Ivan Kubrakoŭ said during a similar anti-riot drill in Mahiloŭ on May 27, referring to the massive peaceful demonstrations against alleged fraud in the presidential election.
Kubrakoŭ stressed that police officers should not hesitate to use firearms “if someone is trying to commit mayhem” against security forces deployed to suppress riots.
According to the interior ministry, during the Mahiloŭ drill officers practiced making arrests, preventing traffic blockades, stopping a bus carrying “extremist-minded citizens,” neutralizing groups accused of disturbing public order and freeing hostages.
One video published by the ministry showed women dressed in white and holding flowers while acting as demonstrators — imagery reminiscent of the peaceful protests of 2020.
Police conducted a similar drill in Viciebsk on April 23 and 24 and on June 23 and 24, in Mahiloŭ on May 27, in Baranavičy, Brest region, on June 4, and in Rečyca, Homiel region, on June 24.
Although the 2020 post-election protests were largely peaceful, police used brutal force to disperse them and arrest participants. Several protesters were killed, but their deaths have not been investigated.
