Minsk discussed regional force grouping and unified air defense
Alexander Lukashenko signed decrees on personnel changes in the Belarusian army on October 22, the day of Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov's visit. The reshuffle affected special operations forces as well as the Western and Northwestern operational commands. This was reported by Glavcom, according to the portal PromPolitInform.
The personnel decisions were made simultaneously with the Russian official’s visit to the Belarusian capital. Official sources reported the signing of the respective decrees by the president.
Colonel Vladimir Safonov assumed the post of commander of the special operations forces of the Armed Forces of Belarus, having previously served as chief of staff and first deputy commander of the SOF. His predecessor Alexander Ilyukevich took charge of the troops of the Western Operational Command.
New leaders of operational commands
Major General Andrei Kravchenko was appointed chief of staff and first deputy commander of the Western Operational Command. The Northwestern Operational Command was headed by Major General Alexander Lavrenov, who previously served as chief of staff and first deputy commander of the Western Operational Command’s troops.
During the negotiations, the parties discussed the functioning of the joint regional group of forces of Russia and Belarus, the development of joint military infrastructure, a unified air defense system, and deeper cooperation in combat training.
Statements on preemptive actions
The Russian Defence Minister stated the need for “preemptive actions” in response to the international situation. According to Andrei Belousov, the ministers discussed tasks that need to be resolved in the shortest possible time, though no specific measures were named.
Photo: Glavcom
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