Lukashenko: Underperforming officials should serve on Ukrainian border

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has ordered that officials and workers who fail to meet their duties, particularly during the country's harvest campaign, be sent to serve with the military along Belarus's southern border with Ukraine.

Speaking during a government conference call on July 21, Lukashenko said poor-performing officials should be assigned to the armed forces rather than face criminal punishment, according to the state-run BelTA news agency.

He instructed Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin to deploy those who "do not know how to work" to the army and the southern border, where Belarusian Special Operations Forces are stationed.

Lukashenko said the measure was intended to strengthen national security rather than signal any offensive intentions.

"We are not attacking anybody; we are ensuring our own security," he said, adding that recruits could receive a week of military training before being assigned to Special Operations Forces units guarding the border.

The Belarusian leader said the directive would apply to officials at all levels of government, from the cabinet to regional and district administrations.

He also suggested that civil servants who fail to carry out instructions should first be sent to assist with agricultural work during the harvest. Those unable to perform such tasks, he said, could instead serve as military support personnel.

Lukashenko concluded by warning that any failure to comply with official orders would result in military service, saying both underperforming officials and those unwilling to work could be deployed to the border during the harvest season.

By Aghakazim Guliyev