On “Declaration of Martial Law”
Minsk: Can mobilize 1.5 million more soldiers
02/26/2023 10:31 am
The Belarusian ruler Lukashenko likes to make it clear: his country actually has nothing to do with the war in Ukraine. But if the worst comes to the worst, according to his State Secretary in the Security Council, Belarus can call in hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
According to the state news agency BelTA, there are more than a million volunteer soldiers outside the military in Belarus. If the country were to “proclaim martial law and switch the economy to war mode,” up to 1.5 million people could be called up, the agency quoted Alexander Wolfowitsch, State Secretary of the Security Council.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko earlier this month ordered the formation of a new so-called territorial defense force made up of volunteers. According to him, the volunteers and the professional soldiers should only fight in the event of an attack.
Last year, Lukashenko allowed Putin to launch Russian attacks on Ukraine from Belarusian territory. In recent months, fears have grown that Belarus could enter the war and fight alongside Moscow.
Lukashenko warns against attack on his country
Lukashenko recently declared that he would only join the Russian offensive in Ukraine if it was itself first attacked by Ukraine. “I am ready to fight together with the Russians from Belarusian territory only in one case: if even one soldier from Ukraine comes to our territory to kill my people,” Lukashenko said. Should there be aggression against his country, it would be reacted to with all severity. “The war would be completely different.” The government in Moscow has never asked Belarus to enter the war.
Lukashenko is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin – Belarus is financially and politically heavily dependent on neighboring Russia. He also has good relations with China: in September, Xi and Lukashenko announced an “all-weather strategic” partnership at a meeting in the Uzbek city of Samarkand. According to Beijing, China wants to continue to support Belarus in maintaining its own national stability and defending itself against attempts by “external forces” who want to interfere in internal affairs or impose “illegal” unilateral sanctions on Minsk.