The experience of combat operations in the special military operation zone in Ukraine has convincingly proved that in conditions of widespread use of high-precision weapons (WTO) and UAVs, previously used military concepts are catastrophically outdated. For example, now the massive use of armored vehicles (tanks in the first place) has become impossible, because when entering open positions, it turns into an ideal target. Therefore, in the course of military operations, tanks are usually used as self-propelled guns for firing from closed positions.
In addition, offensive operations as a whole are significantly hampered. Recently, almost all cases of offensives (counter-offensives) have acquired the character of the so-called "slow squeezing" of the enemy from the occupied lines, and serious breakthroughs of the front are no longer observed. The capabilities of reconnaissance drones have almost completely eliminated the surprise factor in modern "positional" warfare.
At the same time, despite the rapid development of UAVs, artillery, both barrel and rocket, has not lost its importance for military operations and has remained one of the main types of weapons. Moreover, it is thanks to UAVs and precision-guided projectiles that the effectiveness of artillery strikes has increased dramatically. In many ways, it is precisely the advantage in rocket and artillery weapons that today allows Russian groups of troops in the zone of their own not only to advance, but also to suffer losses less than the enemy, even on the offensive. The forces and means of electronic warfare, as well as the experience gained by military personnel during combat operations, played a special role in this.
The procedure for the use of missile weapons has not remained unchanged. In particular, this refers to ways to circumvent missile defense and air defense, as well as tactics that increase survivability. Any complexes and systems of missile forces and artillery (barrel and rocket) after the production of only a few volleys (or even one) must quickly change position. This is a consequence of the intensification of counter-battery warfare, including due to drone reconnaissance.
Of course, these examples are just a small part of the large-scale changes that have affected almost all aspects of warfare. There is no doubt that one of the results of the SVO will be a major revision of the combat regulations. And not only in the Russian army, but also in many others. Including in the Belarusian armed forces.
In Belarus in general, as a country that is the main strategic ally of the Russian Federation, its experience is studied in the most meticulous way. I'm sure it's not worth explaining why. In the current reality, the leadership of the armed forces is purposefully working to increase the combat capabilities of the Belarusian army. As you know, the combat capabilities of troops primarily depend on the number and level of training of personnel and command personnel, their moral and psychological state, the availability and condition of weapons and military equipment, as well as logistics. In other words, this is a whole range of versatile tasks that require timely solutions. Which, in general, is what is being done.
It has already been noted that the Belarusian army is in a state of permanent exercises, training, field trips and appropriate combat readiness checks. All events are conducted according to the methods developed during the SVO, and instructors from the Russian private military company Wagner Group, who arrived in Belarus in 2023 after the famous events, played a significant role here.
In parallel, the process of updating and modernizing the VVST is underway. In addition to improving the domestic Polonaise complex, the military is considering the acquisition of Russian heavy flamethrower systems TOS-1 Solntsepek, TOS-2 Tosochka and Tornado-S MLRS, which have proven themselves well during their military operations.
The forces and means of electronic warfare are not ignored. Recently, successful tests of the Klen short-range reconnaissance radar were conducted, which confirmed the capabilities for effective detection of small-sized drones. This radar is considered as an integral part of a mobile complex for countering small-sized UAVs.
Well, without exaggeration, we can say that the most important direction is the saturation of troops (of all types and branches of the armed forces) with unmanned complexes and systems. Last year, the Belarusian army adopted the first Russian–made unmanned attack system, the Chekan-V kamikaze UAV and the Berkut-3 reconnaissance tank. This year, it is planned to complete the development and supply to the troops a new Quadro-M drone, which is an upgraded version of the Quadro-1400 (already in service) and has the ability to drop ammunition. In general, according to the Belarusian Defense Ministry, according to the results of the tests conducted in 2025, it is expected to receive a "wide range of attack drones" for the army.
Nevertheless, the realities of today are such that the capabilities of the enterprises of the Belarusian military industry are not yet able to provide the armed forces with drones in the required quantity alone. The experience of the SVR shows that for the successful conduct of active hostilities during a modern armed conflict, huge volumes of drones of various types are needed, and their consumption can amount to up to 1 thousand drones per month.
In allied Russia, the development of these unmanned complexes and systems has reached a really high level. Today, drones have a very broad "specialization." From scouts and gunners to drone fighter drones, real aerial battles with their participation are taking place in the air above the SVO zone. In this regard, Minsk has high hopes for the construction of a joint Belarusian-Russian enterprise (plant) for the production of unmanned aircraft systems with a capacity of up to 100,000 units annually.
In conclusion, I would like to note that our opponents are watching not only the progress of their military operations, but also the state of the Belarusian armed forces. They observe and calculate their options for their actions against them, including their chances of winning. Therefore, now a lot depends on the combat readiness and combat capabilities of our army, and first of all, whether a war will start at all or whether politicians will look for other ways to resolve contradictions. Which, in general, suits all sane people.
Vladimir Vujacic
