Lukashenko calls for expanding people’s militia in Belarus

The people’s militia should be based in certain villages, at a village council, the president noted. “You have one unit, a good one. But that is not enough. We need more. We should create such base units in other places as well. They must be interconnected,” the head of state said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled that he had earlier instructed Igor Shunevich, head of the Belarusian Society of Hunters and Fishermen, to bring into the people’s militia people who know how to handle weapons.

The president noted that the people’s militia is needed so that people can defend themselves, their families and their communities in wartime.

“Why did I push to create the people’s militia? I do not want our people to die as they did in the Great Patriotic War, when half the population was wiped out, and we had nothing to respond with. But these men will always be ready to fight back,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “We are men, after all. Even if we have to die, we will take two or three of them with us, if he [a people’s militia fighter] has a machine gun, an assault rifle, a pistol, grenades and so on. We are men. We must know how to handle small arms and must be able to defend ourselves and our families. And naturally, our village.” 

“The people’s militia is the lowest tier. Above it comes territorial defense, protecting infrastructure facilities. And at the very top, the army. Naturally, this entire structure is under the command of the president. And I will keep an eye on this, as I already do, to make sure you have weapons,” the Belarusian leader said.

“When I created this structure, I envisioned a people’s militia unit in every village council. That is the core. If hostilities break out, the core can expand. The village council is the base for building the people’s militia. Weapons have been prepared for you. That is the military’s job. You will have an assault rifle, grenades and a machine gun. And here you also have UAVs [used in training this unit]. “It is good that you have mastered drones, because you are like border guards, right on the edge. You have a NATO country next to you here. God forbid, of course, that we ever have to fight them. But nevertheless, we must be ready,” Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked.

The president said he would soon review territorial defense operations in one of the sectors. Special attention will be given to the availability and safekeeping of the weapons kept in reserve for wartime, including those earmarked for the people’s militia. “I want our society as a whole to be able to defend its country,” the Belarusian leader said. “We will give all of this a good shake-up and check their combat weapons once again.”

The president spoke with the unit’s fighters and gave several training tips: “The main thing is not even shooting. The main thing is physical fitness. You must learn to ‘dodge a bullet.’”

The people’s militia unit whose training the president attended was created on the basis of the Krasny Bor hunting estate. It consists of employees of that estate and of the tourist complex of the same name. 

The commander of the people’s militia unit, Maksim Andriyevsky, is a former career serviceman with experience in a special operations unit. He said the unit trains weekly, with full-scale three-week drills held in summer. Particular attention is paid to specialized physical training, hand-to-hand combat, and weapons handling skills.

The unit brings together local residents from all walks of life. They are not professional military personnel, but their training ensures they will keep their composure when the moment comes and be ready to defend their homeland.