Belarus declares that it wants peace, so it is preparing for war and starting military exercises near the border with Lithuania

Belarus regularly holds military exercises, including near its borders with Ukraine and two European Union members.

The drills, which the Defense Ministry says are designed to simulate defense scenarios in the event of martial law, are taking place in the western Gardin region and southern Gomel region, north of the border with Ukraine.

Belarusian authoritarian leader Aliaksandr Lukashenka, who visited the Gardin region on Tuesday, said that the country is preparing for war, although it does not want to go to war, the state media outlet “Belta” reports.

“If you want peace, prepare for war,” Lukashenko said, adding that Belarus “does not need to threaten anyone.”

For the last time, Minsk held military exercises in mid-March, carrying out, as it said, a comprehensive check of the military’s combat readiness.

Previously, Mantas Vilimas, a representative of the defense and security center “Locked N’Loaded”, told 15min that the military exercises conducted by the countries often have scenarios, according to which plans that have been previously identified are worked out.

According to him, it is completely normal from the military point of view.

M. Vilimas emphasized that plans should be separated from specific decisions and reminded that such statements should not be very afraid, because everything is monitored by the intelligence of NATO countries.

“The Alliance has tools and algorithms to determine readiness. Intelligence warned of a war against Ukraine months before it began. Any specific preparations similar to those mentioned would be recorded and measures would be taken.”