TSAMTO, November 2. The Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Army General Sergei Shoigu, spoke on November 2 at a meeting of the joint Board of the Ministries of Defense of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation. The event was held in the video-conference mode.
According to the Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, speaking to the participants of the meeting, the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Army General Sergei Shoigu noted that Belarus has been and remains Russia's closest neighbor, loyal ally and reliable partner. This is especially important today, when tensions are rapidly increasing in the world, the foundations of strategic stability are being destroyed, the role of international institutions is declining and the confrontation between the West and Russia is intensifying.
"The Kiev regime resorts to prohibited methods of confrontation, including terrorist attacks, contract killings, shelling of civilians with heavy weapons, using them as human shields. But Western countries try not to notice all this. Moreover, they encourage the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. The Ukrainian armed forces are constantly being pumped up with modern weapons and ammunition," the head of the Russian military department said.
Sergei Shoigu added that NATO provides Ukraine with intelligence information, carries out direct targeting, sends its military advisers, supplies foreign mercenaries to the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, conducts an information and sanctions war against Russia. The United States and European countries defiantly ignore elements of nuclear blackmail by the Ukrainian authorities, for example, provocations against the Zaporozhye NPP.
"We know about Kiev's attempts to create a "dirty" nuclear bomb, as well as about its readiness to deploy nuclear weapons of NATO countries on its territory. Recently, the President of Ukraine called on Western countries to launch preventive nuclear strikes against Russia," the Russian Defense Minister recalled. – It is clear that the current situation is beneficial primarily to the United States. Washington seeks to use it to preserve global leadership and weaken other countries as much as possible, including its allies in Europe."
But the main goal of the destructive efforts of the collective West, according to Sergei Shoigu, is certainly Russia – the destruction of its economy, military potential, depriving it of the opportunity to pursue an independent foreign policy.
"At the end of June, at the Madrid NATO summit, a new strategic concept of the bloc was adopted, where the Russian Federation was named the main source of security threats. In this regard, the Alliance intends to move from "deterring Russia through an advanced presence" to creating a full–scale collective defense system on the "eastern flank", near our borders," the head of the Russian military department said.
So, in Eastern and Central Europe, as well as in the Baltic states, formations of the armed forces of non-regional NATO states have been deployed. New multinational battalion tactical groups are being created in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. The number of the group has increased 2.5 times since February 2022 and is more than 30 thousand people, and in the near future it may increase even more.
"Our allies, first of all the fraternal Republic of Belarus, will also be under attack," Sergei Shoigu stressed. "Under these conditions, the Ministry of Defense considers ensuring the military security of the Union State to be a priority."
The main attention, according to the statement of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, is paid to the training of troops and increasing their combat capabilities. Joint operational and combat training events are regularly held, including within the framework of the international organizations of the CSTO, the CIS and the SCO.
"By the decision of the presidents of our countries, from October 22 on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, events of combat coordination of formations and military units assigned to the regional grouping of troops are being held," the head of the Russian military department added.
In addition, the formation of a unified defense space continues. A common Military Doctrine has been adopted, joint military planning is underway, regional groups of troops are functioning, as well as a Unified air defense System.
"The most important coordinating mechanism of bilateral Russian-Belarusian cooperation in the military sphere is the joint Board. Today we will discuss topical issues of cooperation between our defense departments. I am sure that the meeting will be held in a constructive manner," concluded the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation.
