VERKHNEDVINSK DISTRICT, 16 October (BelTA) – Belarus needs to expand its network of people’s militia units, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said while attending a training session of one of such units in Verkhnedvinsk District, BelTA has learned.
The people’s militia should be based in certain villages, at a village council, the president noted. “You have one unit, a good one. But that is not enough. We need more. We should create such base units in other places as well. They must be interconnected,” the head of state said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled that he had earlier instructed Igor Shunevich, head of the Belarusian Society of Hunters and Fishermen, to bring into the people’s militia people who know how to handle weapons.
The president noted that the people’s militia is needed so that people can defend themselves, their families and their communities in wartime.
“The people’s militia is the lowest tier. Above it comes territorial defense, protecting infrastructure facilities. And at the very top, the army. Naturally, this entire structure is under the command of the president,” the Belarusian leader said.
“When I created this structure, I envisioned a people’s militia unit in every village council. That is the core. If hostilities break out, the core can expand. The village council is the base for building the people’s militia. Weapons have been prepared for you. That is the military’s job. You will have an assault rifle, grenades and a machine gun. And here you also have UAVs [used in training this unit]. It is good that you have mastered drones,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
The president spoke with the unit’s fighters and gave several training tips: “The main thing is not even shooting. The main thing is physical fitness. You must learn to ‘dodge a bullet.’”
The people’s militia unit whose training the president attended was created on the basis of the Krasny Bor hunting estate. It consists of employees of that estate and of the tourist complex of the same name.
