Belarus Signals Need to Boost Defenses Capabilities
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, NATO has established new units and reinforced its forward deployment near Russian and Belarusian territory. Several member states have also conducted major military expansions, citing concerns over a potential Russian threat, which Moscow has consistently denied.
“Whether we like it or not… we will have to strengthen our defense capabilities,” Lukashenko said on Tuesday. He added that “the buildup of the military component on our borders, especially by Poland, is not merely of concern to us,” emphasizing that “people are not spending money on tanks and munition for no reason.”
A day earlier, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed that NGOs from the US, UK, Germany, Poland, and other European countries are “building up assets to again attempt to destabilize the situation and change the constitutional order in Belarus.” The agency warned that a new wave of anti-government protests could be timed to coincide with the 2030 presidential elections.
Belarus has a history of unrest following disputed elections, including violent clashes in 2020, although order was eventually restored.
Late last year, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin described the situation along the country’s western borders as “tense.” He noted that the actions of neighboring leaders “indicate – and they don’t hide it – that preparations for war are underway.” Khrenin also said that NATO nations’ commitment to spending 5% of their GDP on military forces “already suggests that this is a pre-war budget.”
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