Combat training, activities of the Internal Troops and territorial defense.
The combat readiness inspection, which began on June 21, continued. It was reported that units of practically all types and branches of the Belarusian Armed Forces were engaged in the protection of the border with Ukraine on a rotational basis.
Servicemen from China arrived in Belarus to take part in joint anti-terrorist drills. Military training sessions with reservists of the territorial defense finished in Minsk.
A Cuban military delegation paid a working visit to Belarus. On July 3, a meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the CIS member states was held in Minsk.
Combat readiness inspection
On July 5, a briefing with the participation of Uladzimir Kuprianyuk, the head of the Main Intelligence Department of the General Staff of the Belarusian Armed Forces, took place, which was dedicated to the situation on the Belarus-Ukraine border. In general, the official repeated the statements made earlier by other representatives of the Ministry of Defense of Belarus.
According to Kuprianyuk, the situation on the border remains tense. There is a Ukrainian military group of up to 15,000 people right near the border with Belarus. Also, the redeployment of Ukrainian special forces, as well as “mercenaries and various volunteer formations” right to the border with Belarus is recorded. From this, they make a conclusion that “there is a high probability that armed provocations will be prepared and carried out on our territory.”
Despite the complex situation, “there is not and will not be any escalation of the situation from our [Belarusian] side.” According to Kuprianyuk, units of the Belarusian Armed Forces are involved in strengthening the protection of the border with Ukraine together with the Border Guard Service. Joint trainings on responding to possible provocations and incidents are regularly conducted.
Maneuver actions by general military units supported by artillery and aviation have been planned to cover the main road directions. Unmanned aviation, ground surveillance and control systems are being used extensively to monitor the situation. Units from practically all types and branches of the Belarusian Armed Forces are involved in these activities on a rotational basis.
Combat training
Servicemen of the anti-aircraft unit of the 103rd Airborne Brigade conducted control exercises with paratrooping. The servicemen began their tasks by making a parachute jump. After landing, they went to the assembly center, where they received the task of marching and as part of the unit went to the assigned area. After the movement, the soldiers began to camouflage their regular weapons and military equipment. The control exercises ended with the practice of destroying an aircraft of the conditional enemy.
On July 6, servicemen of the 202nd Separate Mechanized Battalion of the 6th Mechanized Brigade marched to the assigned area to perform combat training tasks.
On July 6, Chinese servicemen arrived in Belarus to take part in joint anti-terrorist drills, which will be held on July 8-19. The drills will allow exchange experience, coordinate Belarusian and Chinese units, and create a foundation for further development of Belarusian-Chinese relations in the field of joint training of troops.
International cooperation
On July 1, Uzbek Defense Minister Bakhodir Kurbanov arrived in Belarus on an official visit. In accordance with the program of the visit, the head of the Uzbek military delegation held negotiations with the Belarusian Defense Minister. The parties discussed the current state of bilateral military cooperation and outlined ways to intensify it in areas of mutual interest.
On July 1, the Chief of the General Staff of the Belarusian Armed Forces, Pavel Muraveika, had a protocol meeting with Liu Zhe, Defense Attache at the Chinese Embassy in Belarus. During the meeting, the high status of Belarus-China relations of all-weather and multilateral strategic partnership was emphasized. The parties also discussed the current state of bilateral cooperation in the military sphere and outlined ways of further interaction in areas of mutual interest.
On July 3, a regular meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the CIS member states was held in Minsk. In his speech, Viktar Khrenin said that “the military-political situation in the Eastern European region is characterized as a crisis situation with prerequisites for transition to a conflict phase.” Also, according to Khrenin, “A number of challenges and threats in the military sphere have been formed, which […] may lead to open armed confrontation, up to the use of nuclear weapons.” During the meeting, issues related to the development of multilateral military cooperation, including the Plan for Joint Activities in 2025, etc., were considered and approved.
Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba Alvaro Lopez Miera and his delegation paid a working visit to Belarus. During the visit, the delegation visited the 5th Special Forces Brigade. The delegation also held negotiations with Belarusian Defense Minister Viktar Khrenin. The parties summarized the interim results of joint work of the defense agencies in the first half of the year. The parties noted the importance of continuing the practical vector of interaction aimed at strengthening cooperation in the military sphere.
On July 5, Mohammed Bello Umar paid an official visit to the Ministry of Defense of Belarus due to his appointment as Defense Attache at the Embassy of Nigeria in Russia and Belarus (part-time). During the accreditation meeting with the leadership of the Department of International Military Cooperation, the parties discussed issues of bilateral cooperation in the military sphere and exchanged views on areas of its development.
Military commissariats and territorial defense
On July 5, a training session of the territorial troops of Partyzanski district of Minsk was completed. A total of 170 conscripts from the reserve were drafted to the training session.
Other
On July 3, a military parade dedicated to Independence Day and the 80th anniversary of Belarus’ liberation took place in Minsk. In addition to the Belarusian military, representatives of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan participated in the parade. The parade broadcast showed a close-up of the Iskander-M missile launchers with the radiation danger sign on board. In this way, the organizers of the parade wanted to emphasize the transfer of nuclear weapons to Belarus. However, there is still no reliable data that would confirm the deployment of nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus.
On July 6, a military oath was taken in Vitsiebsk State Medical University by the students of the 4th year of study under the reserve officer training program. A total of 132 students took the oath.
Supplies of aviation fuel from Belarus to Russia continued to increase. In two months (May and June) of 2024, the volume of fuel supplied was equal to the average annual supplies over the last 12 years. A significant part of the supplied fuel is sent to oil depots and storage warehouses, and from there it can be distributed to both civilian and military airfields.
Ukrainian monitoring Telegram channels reported that on the night of July 5, the airspace of Belarus was used for Russia’s drone strikes. In total, three Shahed-136/131 flew through Brahin district of Homiel region towards Ukraine.
