Key Russian ally mulls military mobilization

Minsk seeks to “shake up” its military and get it ready for a potential war, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said Belarus will bolster its military combat readiness and could even announce “mobilization” to test it, President Alexander Lukashenko has said.

The Belarusian leader made the remarks on Friday when he toured the Obuz-Lesnovsky military training grounds near the city of Baranovichi in the west of the country.

During his visit, Lukashenko met top military officials and inspected communications and control systems.

The president said that he was set to continue vetting the country’s forces, revealing that an artillery brigade and signal troops are currently undergoing extensive inspections.

“I’ve already put it in plain terms: the army needs a shake-up – the time has come.

The entire army.

We will vet everyone.

Right up to the point of mobilization,” Lukashenko told reporters.

The vetting process is set to be as close to real war conditions as possible, he added.

“We are preparing for war so that it does not happen,” the Belarusian leader stated.

Read more Russian military holds joint nuclear exercise with ally Speaking to senior military officials, the president reiterated that Minsk was not seeking to attack anyone but only to bolster its defenses.

“We have no intention of attacking anyone; we are pragmatists.

We understand that attacking anyone – say, one of our neighbors – would be tantamount to suicide.

We cannot win a conflict against the ‘monsters’ – the states situated along our borders,” he said.