In Belarus, on May 3, under the leadership of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces – the First Deputy Minister of Defense of the Republic of Belarus, the next stage of a comprehensive check of the combat readiness of military units and units involved in responding to crisis situations began. According to the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Defense, military units and subunits stationed in the Grodno, Brest and Minsk regions will be checked. In addition, it became known that within the framework of the audit, it is planned to carry out the conscription of military service, the total number of which will not exceed 1,000 people.
It should be noted that the process that has begun fully fits into the theme of the meeting held on the eve of May 2, which was held by the President of Belarus with the leadership of the country's power bloc on topical issues of ensuring security and law and order, as well as measures to protect the state border.
At the beginning of the meeting, Alexander Lukashenko noted: "The situation around Belarus is complicated. NATO's military potential is being built up near our territory, provocations are taking place on the border. <...> The situation forces us to react to the situation that is developing." During the meeting, Chairman of the State Security Committee Ivan Tertel informed that on the basis of data received through intelligence and other units, a significant aggravation of the operational situation developing around Belarus is predicted. The so-called "counteroffensive of the Ukrainian armed forces" in the combat zone is expected in the near future.
The predictability of the reaction of the Belarusian military-political leadership is due to elementary logic. "Si vis pacem, para bellum" (from lat. — "if you want peace, prepare for war") – the phrase has been known since the V century AD, and the idea contained in it was formulated even earlier (Theban commander Epaminondas, IV century BC). Nevertheless, taking the necessary measures to ensure military security, Belarus has always demonstrated its commitment to the peaceful resolution of the military conflicts and contradictions. The fact that Minsk became the first platform for discussing the peaceful settlement of the situation in the Donbas in 2014-2015 is proof of that.
The President of Belarus himself has repeatedly spoken about the priority of peace and the lack of alternative diplomatic ways to resolve any contradictions. The Belarusian head of state also touched upon this topic in a conversation with residents of the Vetkovsky district during his working trip to the Gomel region. "Anything can happen. But I understand you more so that we don't get involved in this large-scale massacre. We use and study her experience. We are looking to make our army stronger. So don't worry. I don't want to fight you anymore. I have children too. <...> I don't want to have to send you somewhere to the front," Alexander Lukashenko said at the time.
In turn, the Minister of Defense of Belarus Viktor Khrenin on May 1, at the ceremony of awarding the conscripts who took part in the previous stage of checking the combat readiness of the armed forces, also noted the desire of the Belarusian people for peace. "With today's holiday, we Belarusians emphasize that we want peace and work quietly on our land. However, we will not allow anyone to dictate terms to us and talk to us from a position of strength. And you have confirmed it in practice," the head of the military department summed up, congratulating everyone on the holiday.
Participants of the International Anti-Fascist Forum, which was held in Minsk on the territory of the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War on April 22, talked a lot about the need to preserve peace and the inadmissibility of resolving political and other disputes by military methods. The event brought together representatives of more than 50 countries. Welcoming the participants of the meeting, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Belarus Igor Lutsky called it symbolic and indicative that the anti-fascist forum is being held in the capital of Belarus, and named the main purpose of the forum. "It is important for us to keep the peace. That is why people who think about peace and how to prevent war meet here and hold various events. This is what the Anti–Fascist Forum is dedicated to," Igor Lutsky stressed.
Gennady Zyuganov, chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, head of the Communist Party faction in the State Duma of Russia, who was present at the forum, spoke about the rejection of wars and the genetic memory of the Belarusian people about the victims of the most terrible of them. "We have gathered for this forum in truly fraternal Belarus. Before the event, the entire delegation went through the museum, and I want to say that this is the most unique museum available on the planet. And fraternal Belarus is the only republic in the world that paid for the victory over fascism with the life of every third citizen. We also visited Khatyn. Khatyn is a monument to courage and perseverance, a reminder to all of us about the crimes of fascism and Nazism," the Communist Party leader said.
Belarus really well remembers the horror of the last war and cultivates the memory of it among the younger generations. The exhibition of the same name dedicated to Victory Day and opened on May 2 at the Security Center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Vitebsk tells about the devaluation of human life and the genocide of the Belarusian people committed by the Nazis during the Great Patriotic War. Materials for the exhibition were provided by the Prosecutor's Office of the regional center, the Vitebsk Regional Museum of Local Lore and a number of educational institutions in Vitebsk.
"Executions, hangings, burning alive, slaughterhouses, death camps – it is impossible to list the atrocities committed by the Nazis and their accomplices. This is an unprecedented tragedy in history, which must be remembered,"– said the prosecutor of the Vitebsk region Igor Ukrainets. "This is not the only exhibition that exists in our region. As part of the investigation of the criminal case of genocide during the Great Patriotic War, the Prosecutor's office, together with others, including local authorities, opened similar expositions in almost all educational institutions. The goal is to convey the historical truth to our young generation and preserve it," Igor Ukrainets stressed.
Today, the Republic of Belarus, being the rightful successor of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR), one of the founding countries of the UN, recognizes and supports the Charter of the Organization, as well as the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" adopted at the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948. Striving for the strict implementation of the provisions of the Declaration, including articles 1 and 3, which state that "all people are born free and equal", as well as "everyone has the right to life", Belarus expects the other members of the Organization to fulfill the same requirements. Besides, assessing the actions of the military and political leadership of the neighboring EU and NATO member states as "unfriendly", Minsk at the same time is well aware that the peoples of these states are not enemies for Belarusians and therefore continue to make every effort to maintain good-neighborly relations. Everything is as in the first article of the Declaration: "All people are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards each other in the spirit of brotherhood." Hence the annual congratulations by the President of Belarus to the citizens of Poland, Ukraine, and the Baltic States on their national holidays, hence the systematic extension of the visa-free regime for their entry into Belarus.
By the way, according to the CPC, since January 1 of this year, 143 111 residents of neighboring EU countries have entered Belarus on a visa-free basis, including 95,898 citizens of Lithuania, 26,632 citizens and 7,723 non-citizens of Latvia, as well as 12,858 citizens of Poland. A total of 528,097 foreigners have traveled to Belarus since the beginning of the visa-free regime.
It is noteworthy that the tendency to visit Belarus in the framework of "visa–free" is only strengthening - Belarusians are always welcome to guests with pure thoughts. "Everything can be negotiated," says the president of "Blue–eyed". Even the national anthem of Belarus begins with the words "We, Belarusians, are worldly people, sirtsam addanyya rodnai zyamli...."
Vladimir Vuyachich
