FILE PHOTO: Belarusian paratroopers perform during celebrations marking the 90th anniversary of the airborne troops in Minsk, Belarus August 1, 2020. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Monday he had ordered the formation of a new volunteer territorial defense so everyone knows how to 鈥渉andle weapons鈥� and be ready to respond to an act of aggression and keep public order in peacetime.
鈥淭he situation is not easy. I have said more than once: every man 鈥� and not only a man 鈥� should be able to at least handle weapons,鈥� Lukashenko said at the meeting of his Security Council.
鈥淎t least in order to protect his family, if needed, his home, his own piece of land and 鈥� if necessary 鈥� his country.鈥�
Lukashenko, who allowed Russia to use Belarus to send troops into Ukraine a year ago, has often said his army would fight only if Belarus was attacked. He has also said the 鈥渆xperience鈥� in Ukraine necessitates additional defence.
鈥淚n case of an act of aggression, the response will be fast, harsh and appropriate,鈥� Lukashenko said on Monday.
Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said the territorial defense force will have 100,000-150,000 volunteers, or more if needed. The paramilitary formation will be ideally in every village and town.
The country鈥檚 professional army has about 48,000 troops and some 12,000 state border troops, according to the 2022 International Institute for Strategic Studies鈥� Military Balance.
A pariah in the West, Lukashenko, Europe鈥檚 longest-serving ruler who has led Belarus for 28 years, depends on Russia politically and economically, and Russian President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 support helped him survive mass pro-democracy protests in 2020.
The dependence has fanned fears in Kyiv that Putin would pressure Lukashenko to join a fresh ground offensive and open a new front in Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine.
鈥淭he elements of the Cold War: arms race and nuclear blackmail by the leaders of individual Western states have returned to the contemporary international agenda,鈥� Lukashenko said on Monday.
The European Union, the United States and others have imposed billions of dollars worth of sanctions on the ex-Soviet state over its support for Russia鈥檚 war against Ukraine.
On Monday, US President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv to send a message of 鈥渆nduring support鈥� for Ukraine and announce further military aid for the army of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.