Łukašenka demands strict discipline ahead of China visit

February 27, BPN. At a meeting with security and defense officials in Minsk on February 27, Alaksandr Łukašenka demanded that armed units be “extremely disciplined.”

“We have a large number of people in uniform, everyone is armed,” he said, according to a video clip disseminated by his press office. “These are the people who are focused on protecting their homeland. We should use that.”

Separately, he mentioned a border situation, stressing that not only the State Border Committee, but also the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Committee for State Security (KGB) and the Armed Forces should oversee it.

“All of us should be able to see any minor aggressiveness towards our state on our country’s borders in order to take appropriate response measures,” Łukašenka said.

The meeting was attended by Security Council head Alaksandr Valfovič, Defense Minister Viktar Chrenin, Interior Minister Ivan Kubrakoŭ, KGB Chairman Ivan Tertel and State Border Committee head Anatol Łapo. It took place ahead of Łukašenka’s visit to China, scheduled for February 28-March 2.

It is remarkable that the top brass gathered the day after reports of sabotage at the Mačuliščy military airfield, Minsk region.

On February 26, Telegram channels, including those monitoring military activity in Belarus, reported several explosions at the airfield, claiming that a Russian aircraft was damaged.

Later, the opposition’s law and order secretary Alaksandr Azaraŭ, who heads the ByPol association of former security officers, said several Belarusian partisans involved in Płan Pieramoha (Victory Plan) carried out the attack using two drones to blow up Russia’s precious early warning and control aircraft A-50.

Azaraŭ claims that the partisans have successfully left the country.

The Belarusian authorities have not officially confirmed or denied reports of the Mačuliščy incident.