Lukashenko says Belarus is preparing for war to prevent one

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has confirmed plans to continue large-scale inspections of the country’s military readiness, saying the checks will extend to the entire armed forces and could include mobilisation.

“I have already said it in plain terms: the army needs to be shaken up; the time has come. The entire army. We will check everyone. Right up to mobilisation,” Lukashenko told journalists at the Obuz-Lesnovsky combined-arms training ground, according to BelTA.

Lukashenko said an artillery brigade is currently being inspected on his orders, following earlier checks of tank and motorised rifle units.

“We are doing everything as it would be in a war,” he said, adding that the inspections incorporate lessons from modern armed conflicts.

“Preparing for war so that there will be no war,” Lukashenko said, underscoring what he described as the purpose of the readiness checks.

By Tamilla Hasanova