Buffer zone wargame: Belarus peacekeepers between two countries

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In the course of military drills near the city of Vitsebsk Belarusian peacekeepers learned how to fight out of ambush and chase illegal armed groups. Live firing was exercised as well.

According to the legend of the wargame, Belarusian peacekeepers were in the five-kilometer buffer zone between two countries. Either of the two wanted to annex this territory, but according to the peace treaty, their military forces were drawn off. Illegal armed groups attempted to prevent peacekeeping missions from completing their tasks.

One of the episodes of the drills was peacekeepers’ falling into an ambush. The convoy ‘carrying’ humanitarian aid was escorted by machine gunners on quads and BTRs-80. However, the Belarusian peacekeeping mission managed to fight back and even start moving up behind ‘war criminals’. As a result, the enemies were captured, their leader was questioned and prisoners were released.

More than 10 armored cars were used in the game which also turned out to be the first test for military quads.

Belsat.eu, following vsr.mil.by

Russians to decide whether to replace Belarusian NPP reactor

A contingency occurred during the installation of the reactor at Atsravets NPP, the Ministry of Energy admitted. It happened ‘when the reactor was being moved horizontally,’ the website of the Ministry reports.

A group of specialists is needed to prove whether the reactor was damaged, a high-ranking source close to the NPP construction told Euroradio. Most likely, nothing was damaged, he said. However, he would recommend replacing the reactor anyway.

The problem is that the final decision will be made by… Russians.

“Russians are building it – our organizations are performing subcontract works. The general contractor is Russia. Russians will make the final decision…”
Information about the incident at Astravets NPP appeared in mass media on the evening of July 25. It was reported that a 330-ton reactor had collapsed from the height of 2-4 metres on July 10. The area was encircled and guarded, journalists reported.


Kilde: http://euroradio.fm/en/russians-decide-whether-replace-belarusian-npp-reactor

Ole Einar Bjørndalen og Darja Domratsjeva har giftet seg Gratulerer!

Skiskytterne Ole Einar Bjørndalen (42) og Darja Domratsjeva (29) er nå et ektepar.

Det bekrefter Bjørndalen på sin offisielle Facebook-side, sent lørdag kveld.
«For en hyggelig dag:)», skriver han sammen med et bilde av Domratsjeva i brudekjole og seg selv i mørk dress.
Den norske skiskytterlegenden var lenge taus om forholdet, men i april i år bekreftet han at hviterussiske Darja Domratsjeva er hans kjæreste.
Samtidig kunngjorde han også at paret venter barn i oktober.

Victim of regime? Belarusian journalist Dzmitry Zavadski missing for 16 years

From 1994 to 1997, Dzmitry Zavadski worked
as a personal cameraman of Belarusian president Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
Later, he started working for the Russian television.

He disappeared on the morning of 7 July 2,000 on the way to the national airport Minsk-2, where he was to meet his colleague Pavel Sharamet.
Mr Zavadski’s car was found in the airport, but it is still unknown
what happened to him. The body of Dzmitry has never been found. At that
time he was 27 years old.

The reason for the abduction could have been the work
of Mr Zavadski in Chechnya in 1999-2000, during the filming of The
Chechen Diary, Pavel Sharamet believes. Mr Zavadski is supposed to have
collected information about the actions of the Belarusian special
forces, who at that time were in Chechnya.

Belsat TV film about the abducted and allegedly assassinated opponents of the regime:

Officially, the case was fully investigated.
According to the investigators, the journalist was kidnapped by former
employees of the Interior Ministry Special Forces Unit Almaz, Valer Ihnatovich and Maxim Malik, as well as Alyaksei Guz, a former student of the Academy of Ministry of Interior, and Syarhei Savushkin
who had repeatedly been on trial before that. Ihnatovich and Malik were
sentenced to life imprisonment, Guz – to 25 years in prison, Savushkin –
to 12 years (now he is at liberty).

The trial was held in camera, that is why no evidence
of guilt has ever been published. According to independent
investigators into the case, it is the ordinary performers who were
tried and sentenced; rumour has it that the real organizers of the crime
were Viktar Sheyman, a former chairman of the Security Council, Yury Sivakou, a former Interior Minister and Dzmitry Paulichenka, an ex-commander of Special Rapid Deployment Force. They are still banned from entering the USA and EU member ccountries.

In 1999-2000, the activity of the so-called death squad allegedly resulted in abductions of Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s opponents – politician Viktar Hanchar, businessman Anatol Krasouski and former Interior Minister Yury Zakharanka.

Belarus wants to normalize relations with USA, Russia fine with it – Lukashenka

Michelle Obama, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Kolya Lukashenka, Barack Obama. September, 2015
Belarus wants to normalize relations with the United States on mutually beneficial terms, president Alyaksandr Lukashenka at Wednesday’s meeting with U.S. Charge d’Affaires Scott M. Rauland.

“We realize that we will not be able to have a full-fledged foreign policy until we normalize relations with the United States. We do not hide our intention that we want to normalize the relations with the United States on mutually beneficial terms,”state-run news agency BelTA quotes Lukashenka asy saying.

During the meeting, the Belarusian admitted that not everything is well in the U.S.-Belarus relations, but stressed that ‘they are much better than they were’ and expressed hope that the countries ‘are moving in the right direction’.

According to Lukashenka, Belarus has certain commitments to its strategic allies and partners (Russia, China and India and neighboring countries). At the same time, he noted that there were no such commitments to other states that would go against our cooperation with the United States.

“Even Russians say that it is absolutely necessary to have normal relations with Western Europe and the United States. I will reiterate that if there is the goodwill on the part of the United States, we will be able to address any problem,” Lukashenka promised.

Scott Rauland is to leave Belarus on July, 8. He has been Chief of U.S. Mission to our country since July, 2014.

Read also: USA to decide on Belarus sanctions after parliamentary elections – Charge d’Affaires

Belsat.eu, following BelTA

NATO summit set to show Russia its place – political observer

Ukraine is the only partner with which NATO will hold a separate meeting at the 2016 summit in Warsaw. Political observer Raman Yakavleuski tells Belsat TV about Ukraine’s going to the West and explains why Ukrainians are anticipating Russia’s attack from the territory of Belarus.

Can any post-Soviet country become a member of NATO in the near future?

I would not use the word ‘near’, but such chance is within the realm of possibility for Georgia, Ukraine and, perhaps, Moldova. It is the aggressive policy of Puting that is pushing Ukraine to NATO. The number of NATO – and it’s no secret – is growing in Ukraine.

What was the reason for Ukraine’s and Georgia’s starting to actively cooperate with NATO in the 90s?

In the both countries, there is a change of those in power. There is a general belief that the path to Europe lies through NATO as a defense alliance as well. As a defense alliance, and not aggressive. When Putin says that one of the motives for the annexation of Crimea was a threat of NATO, he lies.

At the present day, when we see the EU facing the crisis – in the first place, I mean the recent referendum in the UK – many people are expecting much of NATO and of the Warsaw summit in particular.

This is a landmark event at which all the participants should strengthen their consolidation. European countries ought to think about a larger contribution to the common cause.

I am sure that NATO will be consolidating. Romania, which has taken the initiative of creating a Black Sea Fleet, can be an example of it. The decision on the initiative in which Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia are also involved is to be approved in Warsaw.

And don’t you think that this project failed after Bulgaria had refused to participate?

I would not say so. I don’t think Bulgaria has the say here. In my opinion, the creation of the Black Sea Fleet NATO is not at all an unlikely scenario. In response to establishing ‘Putin’s line’ from Sukhumi to Kaliningrad, NATO is building up from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. In fact, Putin revived NATO, Nato was sleeping. As we remember, NATO’s response to the war in Georgia was different. The annexation of the Crimea and the Ukrainian tragedy changed the situation. One can say that Putin woke NATO up. On the one hand, it causes tension. On the other hand, the Alliance’s consciousness is rising.

What proposals will be set to Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, and what can they offer NATO? For example, Poroshenko is taking part in the summit…

Georgia and Moldova are small countries, the latter is a neutral state in accordance with its Constitution. As for Ukraine, battleworthy armed forces are being created there, because it is the unpreparedness of the Ukrainian army that led to their defeat in the war against Russia. Americans are engaged in the process, as well as British.

There is also a problem of protection of nuclear power plants in Ukraine. I believe it will be an occasion for greater cooperation with NATO in Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko

At the Warsaw Summit systematic work within the framework of NATO is to be approved; actual financing and training of soldiers will be its basis. Georgia has already had it; despite Ossetia and Abkhazia, Georgia has already left the Russian orbit. By now, Russia has also lost Ukraine.

If we compare the situation in Ukraine to measles, now the country is having rash. But Ukraine has set off on the road to recovery.

Awakening of NATO makes Russia react; it promises to ‘take appropriate measures’. What might they result in?

They may lead to war. The possibility of war is perceived as a common thing in Russia.

As for Belarus, I cannot agree with some experts who state that Lukashenka keeps neutrality. It is impossible to remaine neutral at the current level of political and military union of Belarus and Russia.

At the conference in Tallinn, I acquainted myself with the report by general Clark [In 1997-2000 Wesley Clark headed the Supreme Headquarters of Allied Powers Europe and was commander of NATO forces in Kosovo]. When I asked why he was speaking about Russia and Kaliningrad but failed to even mention Belarus, he answered that NATO sees Belarus and Russia as a unified defense space. We are the hostages of Putin’s policy, it is hard to talk about neutrality.

Does it mean that Belarusians might shoot Ukrainians if a war starts?

Yes, there is such a threat. At the moment the protection of border with Ukraine is being enhanced – allegedly due to a threat of NATO. According to Lukashenka, “Belarus will be the first to face a NATO attack”. Whom was he going to fight against? War is always on his mind.

Do you agree with the opinion that Russia will be waging the conflict in Donbas to prevent Ukraine from entering NATO?

Yes, that’s its goal. But there is another : Russia may give up the two separatist enclaves to Ukraine, but only on special terms, with retaining control over them – and Ukraine will suffer.

Сёлета Украіна ўзяла ўдзел у найбуйнейшых вайсковых вучэннях Польшчы ад 1989-га года «Анаконда-2016».

June 2016: Ukraine took part in the military exercise Anakonda

Talking about the Minsk agreements, I hold the opinion that everything would be solved much quicker if the 400-kilometer border between Ukraine and Russia were closed.

Being in Kyiv, I asked why they were afraid of tanks from the territory of Belarus. „You have 400 kilometers of the uncontrolled border with Russia, I said. But a colonel from the Security Council answered: „Kyiv is closer to you [Belarus].”

Briefly – what is the main aim of the summit?

According to its participants, the summit should put Russia where it belongs. They say that enough is enough! No more Russian jet fighters flying in five meters of the ships in the Baltic Sea, no more threats in the Dardanelles and so on. But what will be the response? Probably, it will be in the consolidated position. Putin will not be able to ignore it.

Interviewed by Dzianis Dziuba/ English version in abridged form

Nadiya Savchenko: Dictatorship cannot be neutral. Exclusive interview

The Verkhovna Rada deputy told Belsat what she was
expecting from the NATO summit, what she was going to do for the
Belarusian volunteers and why Minsk had exhausted itself as a
negotiating platform.


Hanna Lyubakova: Welcome to freedom.


Nadiya Savchenko: Thank you.


You came to Poland to the NATO summit as member of the Ukrainian delegation. What does your country expect from it?


Ukraine expects from the NATO summit cooperation in working towards
the maintenance of peace in a civilized society of the 21st century and
holding the aggressor who had attacked Ukraine. This is context we will
work hard in and hope for understanding and support.


What does the military alliance can or should do in connection with the war in Donbas?


Of course, first of all it needs to realize the seriousness of the
problem: it is impossible to do without the international community. The
situation should be brought to its logical conclusion and peace, to the
return of the territorial integrity and state border of Ukraine. I
think there are political, economic, and military mechanisms for it – if
need be, they can be used.


You recently said that you are planning to negotiate with the separatists. What are you going to agree on?


I’m not refusing my words. I said that I am a person, and I am ready
to communicate with others – Ukrainians, who ended up on the other side
of the artificial border that was put by the Russian Federation. I
believe that our negotiations should lead only to peace and to the
understanding of our common political future, of the future, that Maidan
was about, and not the politicians.


I talked with people in the East – they stand, in principle, for the same values.

We were split artificially. We have a future prospect and an understanding of a unified future for Ukraine.


There are a lot of Belarusians fighting in Donbass at the
Ukrainian side who cannot return home. Today Ukraine does not have a law
that would allow to give people a citizenship based on a simplified
procedure. Will you fight for this law?


This is a big omission. I just recently became a parliamentarian, and
I see that we have a been doing some work for too long. We have not
learned how to set priorities.


I will insist that the Verkhovna Rada had fewer holidays but
continued to work for at least a week or two more in order to resolve
all issues and pass all the laws related to the ATO. And I will insist
that the simplified system of nationality was spelled out in the law. I
hope my colleagues will support me in this.


Lukashenka proposed Minsk as a platform for the talks and has consistently emphasized its neutrality. Do you believe him?


Unfortunately, the dictatorship cannot be neutral. Historically,
Belarus has been strongly tied to Russia. Both here and there we find a
dictator. Of course, they can agree among themselves, but it is unlikely
that it will be neutral. It is good that the Minsk platform had
emerged: it allowed to have a cease fire and bloodshed. But it has
exhausted itself, unfortunately – we now need to look for other, more
effective methods.


Spoke Hanna Lyubakova