Belarus begins covert mobilization: Reports
15 Oct 2022 14:18:51
Minsk, Oct 15: Russia's steadfast ally, Belarusian authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko is covertly conducting a small-scale mobilization to "man up the existing combat units," Belarusian weekly newspaper, Nasha Niva, reported on Thursday.
The staffing of combat units of the Belarusian Armed Forces is being done under the guise of military fitness training. "Decision on mobilization has been made in Belarus.
We do not yet know the number of people who are planned to be mobilized," the Belarusian weekly paper said. Further, citing the unnamed sources, the paper reported that during the initial phase of mobilization, men in large cities would not be drafted – but only the rural population. Minsk's regime has decided not to announce the mobilization publicly considering the escalated tensions on the Ukrainian borders. An estimated 2,000 men of military age will be drafted for additional staffing for what is being described as narrow combat tasks, such as artillery, an officer of the Armed Forces of Belarus reportedly informed. He insisted that the goals of the mobilization might be decoded basis of the figures of the recruits, not disclosing the Belarusian regime's plans. It is, although, speculated that the Belarusian military mobilization would increase the likelihood of escalation of the ever-growing bilateral tensions on the Belarusian-Russian border with Ukrainian armed forces. While the press service of the Belarusian Defense Ministry with BelTA repeatedly denies any mobilization in progress, Nasha Niva claims, citing military sources, that Lukashenka announced the launch of a joint Regional Army Grouping with Russia. It also reiterates that if the military recruits exceed five thousand, the situation might be "alarming." In a published interview with the Russian Izvestia newspaper, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Vladimir Makei, admitted that the Lukashenko regime has handed the "broad powers" to his security forces to prevent or respond to provocations from neighboring countries, referring to Kyiv. “The head of our country held a number of meetings with law enforcement agencies, and a counter-terrorist operation regime was introduced,” he said.
A flurry of military activity in Belarus has also alerted Ukrainian forces, who now believe, that the Belarusian dictator may rope his army in support of Russia’s flailing war efforts. The 68-year-old leader had also announced joint deployment with Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces at an informal summit of heads of former Soviet states.