Combat training, activities of the Internal Troops and territorial defense.
On January 16, a meeting of the Security Council was held to consider the drafts of the National Security Concept and the Military Doctrine of Belarus. Both documents will be improved and subsequently approved by the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly.
A number of combat training activities were reported. These included the inspection of the tank and mechanized battalions of the 6th and 120th Mechanized Brigades, as well as the sending of a group of servicemen for training in Russia. The training of the Internal Troops by PMC Wagner mercenaries continues.
It became known about plans to build the “Khrenin’s line” in Hrodna region. Mechanized units continue to equip combat vehicles with anti-drone canopies.
Combat training
On January 15, a group of Belarusian military went to Russia for training. There were representatives of the operational commands of the Ground Forces and the Special Operations Forces among the servicemen. The training is held at the 333rd combat training center of the Western Military District of the Russian Armed Forces and will last for a month. Previously, a number of mechanized units of the Belarusian Armed Forces were trained at the 333rd center. The training will focus on the experience gained by the Russian Armed Forces during the war in Ukraine. The servicemen are practicing the tactics of fighting in defense and offensive. After the training is completed, the Belarusian military will share their experience with units of the Belarusian Armed Forces as instructors.
The training of snipers of the Western Operational Command on the basis of the 103rd Airborne Brigade continues. Training to improve precision shooting skills and position camouflage exercises have been conducted with the personnel. During the training session, the skills of sniper pairs in snow-covered terrain is constantly being improved.
On January 16, a training with technical reconnaissance equipment was held in the 6th Mechanized Brigade. The training involved the use of the BRDM-4B2 reconnaissance system, the Kaponir-M rangefinder, and UAVs.
Combat training continued for soldiers of the 111th Artillery Brigade. Training is conducted both during the day and at night using UAVs. The experience of the war in Ukraine is taken into account during the training..
A training session for mechanics-drivers of tracked minelayers was held at the 557th Engineering Brigade.
On January 16, a training was held with communications specialists of the 108th Material Support Regiment of the Western Operational Command. The training involved the R-142 command-staff vehicle and the N-18-1M comprehensive communications station. Similar trainings were also conducted in the 11th Mechanized Brigade and the 557th Engineering Brigade.
Training on the engineering equipping of positions continues in the 11th Mechanized Brigade. The servicemen practiced the installation of anti-tank and anti-personnel mines, the fortification of positions and the organization of tactical camouflage. The brigade’s servicemen also performed firing tests: on skis and with the BMP-2.
Training on engineering equipping of positions was conducted with the mechanized battalion of the 6th Mechanized Brigade. During the training, the soldiers were shown how to equip fortifications in frozen ground using engineering munitions.
Field drills are being conducted at the Hozhski training ground with the personnel of the self-propelled howitzer artillery divizion of the 350th Artillery Group (armed with the 2S1 Gvozdika). The servicemen are practicing single and group tests on special and tactical training. The training is conducted in a complex dynamic environment with the active use of UAVs.
On January 17, commander flights were held at the 116th Assault Air Base, the first in 2024. The purpose of the flights was to develop a unified methodology to train air personnel in the main types of flight training.
On January 17, according to the order of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, an inspection of a tank battalion of one of the mechanized brigades of the Western Operational Command began. The 52nd Separate Tank Battalion (military unit 97109) of the 6th Mechanized Brigade was subject to the inspection. The battalion is armed with the T-72B tanks. During the inspection, under the leadership of Chief of the General Staff Viktar Hulevich, the battalion was inspected for readiness to fulfill its assigned tasks. During the inspection, the readiness of the battalion’s personnel and the condition of the military equipment for further use was assessed.
On January 17, the UAV detachment of the 6th Mechanized Brigade conducted scheduled flights with the Supercam S350 UAV.
On January 18, a combat readiness inspection of the 339th Separate Mechanized Battalion of the 120th Mechanized Brigade (military unit 04104) was conducted at the 227th combined arms training ground. The purpose of the inspection was to assess the readiness of the unit to fulfill its assigned tasks. The focus was on the issues of staffing the battalion with personnel, weapons, equipment and stocks of materiel.
On January 18, training on tactical medicine was held with servicemen of the 48th Separate Electronic Warfare Battalion. The purpose of the training was to master first aid techniques. In addition to basic skills and tourniquet application, the training focused on practicing the soldiers’ skills in operating under conventional enemy’s attack.
On January 18, a training on precision drop of a hand grenade was conducted with non-staff multirotor UAV operators of the 6th Mechanized Brigade.
On January 17-18, a training and methodological session under the leadership of the head of the Department of International Military Cooperation for officers responsible for the implementation of international arms control treaties in the Belarusian Armed Forces was conducted. The purpose of the training was to prepare officials of commands and military units for the resumption of the activities of foreign inspection teams on the territory of Belarus.
A training session for drivers of the BTR-82A and BTR-80K APCs is being held in the 6th Mechanized Brigade. During the training session, the servicemen performed a preparatory exercise on driving combat vehicles and also practiced the requirement test on loading combat vehicles onto a railroad flatcar. The APCs are in service with the brigade’s 202nd Battalion.
A training session with mobile demining groups of the Western Operational Command is being held at the Anti-Mine Center of the Belarusian Armed Forces. The servicemen passed the theoretical stage of training, studied the main tactical and technical characteristics of explosive objects and the procedure for their destruction. After the training session is completed, the personnel will be allowed to fulfill the tasks of clearing the territories from explosive objects.
Military commissariats. Territorial defense
During the week, trainings were reported on the organization of notification, collection and delivery of mobilization resources, military registration and reservation of persons liable for military service in organizations and local authorities. The readiness of executive committees to supply mobilization resources was also inspected.
On January 17, Chief of the General Staff Viktar Hulevich met with Chairman of the Hrodna Regional Executive Committee Uladzimir Karanik. At the meeting, they discussed the improvement of the security of Belarus’ borders on the territory of Hrodna region and the introduction of advanced military experience in the practice of training territorial troops, including the equipment and organization of fortified areas.
On January 19, a training on forming national home guard units was held in Sianno (Vitsebsk region) with village executive committees.
Internal Troops
The sixth training course for servicemen of special purpose units is conducted at the training center of the Internal Troops. Wagner mercenaries are instructors at the training. At the beginning of the course, during individual training, the servicemen practice to the point of acting automatically, after which they start working in small groups. The course trains servicemen for the special purpose unit, which will be formed this year on the basis of the 1st Militia Brigade (military unit 5448, Minsk). The unit will be the tenth of this type in the Internal Troops.
Mortar firing training was held with the fire support group of the Special Rapid Response Unit.
Armament
All military units of the Western Operational Command are armed with the Groza-R2 EW shotguns for countering multicopters. The shotgun is designed to interrupt the flight of multicopters (landing or falling) by radio suppression of control and navigation channels. The Groza-R2 is widely used both during combat training and daily activities.
Mechanized units of the Belarusian Armed Forces continue to adopt the experience of the war in Ukraine and manufacture anti-drone canopies equipped with the Contact-1 dynamic protection. The canopies are manufactured by repair units of mechanized brigades, the 815th technical support center, and are designed to protect armored vehicles from kamikaze drones, FPV drones, and missiles of anti-tank systems. Artillery systems are also equipped with the anti-drone canopies.
The 815th Technical Support Center conducted a field test of the developed machine for the NSVT 12.7-mm machine gun, which allows for aimed fire from the ground.
For about a year, snipers of the 22nd Separate Special Purpose Company have been testing the SV-1000 Stilet sniper rifle made in Belarus. It was reported that the rifle had already entered service with some units.
Amendments to legislation
On January 16, a meeting of the Security Council was held to consider the drafts of the National Security Concept and the Military Doctrine of Belarus. Both documents will be improved and subsequently approved by the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly. The previous version of the Military Doctrine was approved in 2016, and the National Security Concept– in 2010. One of the amendments to the Military Doctrine was the use of Russian tactical nuclear weapons deployed in Belarus.
On January 19, Defense Minister Viktar Khrenin held a briefing on the adoption of the new Military Doctrine. According to the official, “The deployment of tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus is considered as an important component of preventive deterrence of potential enemies from unleashing armed aggression against Belarus.” Currently, there is still no data that would confirm the presence of nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus.
Other
Work on the establishment of fortified areas along the border will continue. This was stated by the head of the Main Department of Combat Training of the Belarusian Armed Forces, Aliaksandr Bas, on January 16. According to the official, this year a fortified area will be established in Hrodna region. “Deeply echeloned defense is being built on the main road directions or probable directions of enemy’s actions,” Bas said. Last year, similar objects were built in Homiel and Brest regions. The media call these fortifications “Khrenin’s line.”
On January 17, an international conference “Current aspects of tactics development in modern armed conflicts” was held at the Military Academy. At the conference, relevant issues of training, combat use and support of tactical level formations were considered. The conference was held with the participation of representatives with combat experience.
On January 18, the Ministry of Defense of Belarus reported that two servicemen received gunshot injuries in one of the military units as a result of violations of safety requirements during firing drills. The servicemen received all the necessary medical aid and there was no threat to their lives. No other details were given.
