Lukashenko orders Belarus to expand its network of people's militia units
In short
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on 16 October that Belarus must develop and expand its network of people's militia units, so that in wartime people can defend themselves, their families and their localities. He spoke while visiting training sessions of one such unit in the Verkhnedvinsk district of the Vitebsk region, saying every village council should have a militia unit. He placed the militia at the bottom of a structure with territorial defence above it and the army at the top, all under the president's command.
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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on 16 October that the country needs to develop and expand its network of people's militia units. He spoke during a working visit to the Vitebsk region, while attending training sessions of a militia unit in the Verkhnedvinsk district, Interfax reported, citing his press service. RIA Novosti and Vedomosti cited the BelTA agency. [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
"You have one unit, a good unit. But that is not enough. And we need to expand. We need to create such base units somewhere else. They must be linked to each other," Lukashenko said, according to RIA Novosti and Vedomosti. He said the militia is needed so that in wartime people can defend themselves, their families and their localities. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
Lukashenko said the militia should be based in certain villages within a village council. According to Interfax and Kommersant, he said every village council should have a militia unit, and Interfax quoted him as calling it a core that could expand in the event of military action. He described the militia as the lowest level of a structure with territorial defence, which protects infrastructure, above it and the army at the top. "Naturally, this whole structure is under the command of the president," he said. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
Addressing the unit, Lukashenko said weapons had been prepared for them and that this was a matter for the military. "You will have an assault rifle, grenades, a machine gun," he said, adding that it was good they had mastered drones. Kommersant reported that he also told them that physical training mattered more than shooting. [ 3 , 4 ]
Lukashenko recalled that he had earlier instructed Igor Shunevich, head of the Belarusian Society of Hunters and Fishermen, to bring people who can handle weapons into the militia, TASS, Interfax and Vedomosti reported. [ 2 , 4 , 5 ]
Vedomosti noted that on 11 September Lukashenko said he intended to continue readiness checks in the armed forces, that the army needed to be shaken up and that checks would go as far as mobilisation. He has said the country is preparing for war so that there will not be one, Vedomosti reported. [ 5 ]
Why it matters
The remarks set out a three-level defence structure in Belarus, from village-based militia units through territorial defence to the army, all under the president's command. Vedomosti reported them alongside Lukashenko's statement in September that he would continue readiness checks in the armed forces.
Key facts
- Lukashenko said Belarus needs to develop and expand a network of people's militia units. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- He spoke during a working visit to the Vitebsk region, at training sessions of a militia unit in the Verkhnedvinsk district. [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- He said the militia is needed so that in wartime people can defend themselves, their families and their localities. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Lukashenko said every village council should have a people's militia unit. [ 3 , 4 ]
- He described a structure of people's militia at the bottom, territorial defence above it and the army at the top, all under the president's command. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- He recalled that he had earlier instructed Igor Shunevich, head of the Belarusian Society of Hunters and Fishermen, to bring people who can handle weapons into the militia. [ 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- Lukashenko told the unit that weapons had been prepared for them, including assault rifles, grenades and machine guns, and praised them for mastering drones. [ 3 , 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Lukashenko called for developing and expanding the network of people's militia units in Belarus. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- He said the militia is meant to let people defend themselves, their families and their localities in wartime. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The militia sits below territorial defence and the army, with the whole structure under the president's command, according to Lukashenko. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- Lukashenko recalled instructing Igor Shunevich, head of the Belarusian Society of Hunters and Fishermen, to recruit people able to handle weapons into the militia. [ 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- He said weapons had been prepared for the militia, including assault rifles, grenades and machine guns. [ 3 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- Whether Lukashenko visited one militia unit or several. Kommersant, Interfax and Vedomosti describe training sessions of one unit, while RBC refers to training sessions of units in the plural.
- How many militia units now exist and how quickly the network is to be expanded. The documents give no figures or timetable.
- Lukashenko's advice to the unit that physical training matters more than shooting. Only Kommersant reported this remark.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- RIA Novosti, citing BelTA, reports Lukashenko's order to develop a people's militia in Belarus. [ 1 ]
- TASS reports the order and Lukashenko's earlier instruction to Igor Shunevich. [ 2 ]
- Kommersant reports Lukashenko's call to expand the network of militia units. [ 3 ]
- Interfax, citing the presidential press service, reports the remarks made in the Vitebsk region. [ 4 ]
- Vedomosti reports the remarks, citing BelTA. [ 5 ]
- RBC reports the call to expand the network of militia units. [ 6 ]