Lukashenko Orders Expansion of People’s Militia in Belarus

The network of people’s militia units in Belarus needs to be expanded. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko stated this in the Verkhnyedvinsk District while observing training exercises of one such unit, BELTA reports.

The people’s militia should be based in specific villages within a rural council, the President noted. “You have one unit, a good unit. But that is not enough. And we need to expand. We need to create such base units somewhere else as well. They should be linked to one another,” the Head of State said.

Alexander Lukashenko recalled that he had earlier instructed Igor Shunevich, head of the Belarusian Society of Hunters and Fishermen, to draw 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 protect themselves, their families and their settlements in wartime.

“This is the people’s militia at the very bottom. Then comes territorial defense — protection of infrastructure facilities. People’s militia, territorial defense, and the army at the top. Naturally, the entire structure is under the command of the President,” the Belarusian leader stated.

“When creating this structure I had in mind that there should be a people’s militia unit in every rural council. That is the core. In the event of military action this core can expand. The base on which the people’s militia is created is the rural council. Weapons for you have been prepared. That is the military’s business. You will have an automatic rifle, grenades, a machine gun. And here there are also UAVs (used in the training of this unit. — BELTA note). It is good that you have mastered unmanned aerial vehicles,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

The President spoke with the fighters of the unit and gave several pieces of advice on preparation: “The main thing is not even shooting. The main thing is physical preparation. You must learn to ‘dodge a bullet.’”

The people’s militia unit whose training the President observed was created on the basis of the “Krasny Bor” hunting farm. It consists of employees of this farm and of the tourist complex of the same name.