Belarus leader: "We are against war, but preparing for it"

The Belarusian leadership has conducted a comprehensive inspection of the Armed Forces, marking the first such instance in the modern history of the country.

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko convened a meeting to discuss the results of the military review, which was attended by approximately 300 government officials, Caliber.Az reports via Belarusian media.

The large-scale inspection of the country's armed forces, ordered by the president, has been ongoing since January 16.

Addressing the participants, which included commanders from those units that were involved in the inspection,  Lukashenko proposed holding a "candid discussion" regarding the findings of the inspection, without hiding anything. 

The Belarusian leader emphasised that the review was essentially focused on one task, which was to test the combat readiness of those units that were equipped to such a level under wartime conditions. 

“For me, such inspections in times of peace are a waste of money. We don’t have extra money,” the Belarusian leader explained.

“There can be no such thing as peaceful times. We are preparing for war. That is why we created the Armed Forces, that is why we maintain them, that is why the people allocate money to support us. And people in this room [and not only here] must understand: We are absolutely against war. Especially our officers, our soldiers, the Armed Forces. Because we know what war is. We do not want war, but the army is meant for that purpose. If someone decides to speak to us and look at us through the sights of weapons, we will respond. That is what we are preparing for,” Lukashenko said.

The president further told the meeting attendees that he wants his subordinates "to be ready to fight", explaining that "they will fear us" in such case. "That is important, and no one will come here. That is my goal. I think you understand it well,” he added.

By Nazrin Sadigova