Review of military events in Belarus on April 29 – May 5
Combat training, activities of the Internal Troops and territorial defense.
On April 29, a decree was signed on the conscription of reserve officers for service. For the first time in 30 years, the number of officers to be drafted was classified.
Combat training events held last week included the “Security Belt 2024” command-staff drills, drills with the pontoon-bridge battalion of the 188th Engineering Brigade, and an inspection of the duty forces of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces.
It became known about new investments in the infrastructure of Lida airfield. A new special forces detachment of the Internal Troops was formed in Vitsiebsk.
Combat training
On April 28, a review of readiness to perform the assigned tasks was held at the 78th Separate Mechanized Battalion of the 6th Mechanized Brigade as part of tactical drills. During the review, the condition of the military equipment was assessed for future use.
On April 29, personnel of the 105th Separate Mechanized Battalion of the 11th Mechanized Brigade returned to their permanent deployment point from field drills.
On April 30, the readiness review of the 7th Separate Tank Battalion of the 11th Mechanized Brigade for the upcoming drills took place. Training on the practical installation of dynamic protection on tanks was also conducted in the battalion.
On May 1, the 358th Separate Mechanized Battalion of the 120th Mechanized Brigade returned to the permanent deployment point after participating in tactical drills.
Company tactical-special drills were held in the pontoon bridge battalion of the 188th Engineering Brigade. The drills included reconnaissance of the troops’ route and the crossing area, minefield passage, and repulsion of an attack by an enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group. The equipment of ferries of various carrying capacities was also practiced.
As part of tactical-special training, soldiers of the 11th Mechanized Brigade marched 50 kilometers. During the training, the military drivers practiced their skills in moving as part of a convoy, as well as in various conditions.
International cooperation
The Belarusian military delegation headed by the head of the Main Directorate of Combat Training of the Belarusian Armed Forces, Aliaksandr Bas, took part in the “Security Belt 2024” command-staff drills in Tehran. During the drills, the Belarusian military together with their Iranian colleagues practiced the issues of combating terrorist formations. The Belarusian and Iranian parties also held negotiations on the development of cooperation in the field of combat training.
During an official visit to Uzbekistan, Chief of the General Staff of the Belarusian Armed Forces Viktar Hulevich held negotiations with the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan. The two parties discussed the current state of bilateral military cooperation and outlined ways to intensify it in areas of mutual interest. Hulevich also visited a number of educational institutions of Uzbekistan, where he got acquainted with their structure, tasks and the system of training military personnel.
Military commissariats and territorial defense
In June-July, a training session with conscripts of the territorial troops will be held in Maskouski district of Minsk. According to preliminary information, 130 reservists will be drafted.
On May 3, an open mobile trial was held in the military commissariat of Vitsiebsk city, Vitsiebsk and Liozna districts, where a criminal case on evasion of conscription for compulsory military service (p.1 of Art.435 of the Criminal Code of Belarus) was considered. The court found the conscript guilty and sentenced him to 1 year of imprisonment (with a suspended sentence of 1 year).
A ceremony honoring reserve officers drafted to a military training session was held in the 74th Separate Signal Regiment. At least 10 reservists took part in the training session.
Internal Troops
The Vitsiaz special forces detachment was formed on the basis of the 7th Militia Brigade (military unit 5524, Vitsiebsk). The detachment became the 13th such unit in the Internal Troops. Vitsiebsk region was the last one that didn’t have its own special forces detachment. One can expect that the official “presentation” of the unit will take place in the near future.
A training and methodological session with company and battalion commanders of formations and military units is being held in the Internal Troops. For two weeks, officers will be receiving new knowledge and improving their acquired skills in the basics of military topography, artillery, medical training, organization of command and communications. The servicemen will also practice working with drones (including FPV drones) and small group operations in wooded areas.
The personnel of the 1st Militia Brigade of the Internal Troops underwent special tactical training on conducting a counter-terrorist operation. The servicemen practiced blocking an area, searching for and detaining members of illegal armed groups, and repelling an attack on the unit’s forces and means.
The personnel of the Buran special forces detachment, formed on the basis of the 6th Militia Brigade (Homiel), underwent a course of special tactical training “Actions of an assault squad to destroy a sabotage and reconnaissance group” under the guidance of PMC Wagner mercenaries.
Servicemen of the Grom special forces detachment undergo combat coordination at the Valoushchyna training center under the guidance of PMC Wagner mercenaries. During the training, they practice the conduct of modern military combat.
Reserve servicemen, who are part of the Belarusian Chest’ Association of Veterans of the Ministry of Internal Affairs troops, conducted another training at the Valoushchyna training center. Under the guidance of instructors from the Rys’ special forces detachment, the reservists improved their shooting skills from various positions.
Development of infrastructure
The command of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces of Belarus has planned new investments in the infrastructure of Lida airfield. For example, the runway will be repaired this year, shelters for aircraft will be purchased. The 116th Assault Air Base (military unit 19764) is located at the airfield. The main armament of the air base is Su-25 attack aircraft.
Military equipment
The head of the Anti-Aircraft Missile Troops of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces Command of the Belarusian Armed Forces said in an interview with state media that the Buk-MB SAM system would be delivered to the troops “in the near future”. The system is a Belarusian modernization of the Buk SAM system. The Pantsir-SM and S-350 Vitsiaz systems are also being analyzed for possible purchase in the future.
At the end of April, experimental samples of the IVTs-122RL airborne target radar simulator were tested at the Damanava training ground. The product imitates an air target and is designed for training and exercising the crews of the Osa-AKM, Tor, Pantsir and Buk SAM systems in conditions close to the real one. By the end of 2024, it is planned to complete the development work, after which the simulators will be delivered to the troops.
Visit to the command post
On May 3, Aliaksandr Lukashenka once again visited the 1072nd central command post of the Belarusian Air Force and Air Defense Forces. The purpose of the visit was to observe the inspection of the duty forces of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces. The inspection was conducted due to a series of military drills “on the territory of neighboring countries.” The Belarusian military rehearsed the “inspection of duty forces” for almost three months to demonstrate it to Lukashenka. The event was held as part of a sudden combat readiness inspection of the Armed Forces, which has been underway since March 11.
Speaking to reporters after the inspection, Defense Minister Viktar Khrenin said that air defense is now being paid close attention to. The Belarusian army is receiving modern Su-30SM aircraft, Mi-35M helicopters (another batch is expected soon), as well as the S-400 Triumf SAM system. Commander of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces Andrei Lukyanovich added that the procurement of new equipment for the Radio Technical Troops continues. These are the Rosa-RB and Vostok radars produced in Belarus, as well as Russian Protivnik-GM radars.
Other
Re-training of hunters into snipers is underway in Belarus. The retraining of volunteers is organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense of Belarus.
On April 29, decree No. 179 “On conscription of reserve officers for military service” was published. The document stipulates that in 2024, reserve officers under the age of 27, who have graduated from the military department and have not completed compulsory military service, will be drafted to the Belarusian Armed Forces and the Border Guard Service. The number of drafted officers is given in a classified annex to the decree, stamped “For official use.” This is the second case in 30 years of reserve officer conscription in sovereign Belarus, when the number of conscripted officers was classified. This may be due to: 1) reluctance to show the deficit of junior officers in the army; 2) the need to conceal the formation of a personnel reserve for the forming Southern Operational Command.