About the Belarusian army in figures, facts and comments. Armed forces of Belarus: real combat capabilities and prospects

At a recent meeting of the Security Council dedicated to the adoption of a new military doctrine of the state, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that the threat to global and regional security remains, while further escalation of the situation could have irreparable consequences both for Europe and for all mankind.

The active use of the mechanisms of "color revolutions" to overthrow the legitimate government has led to an increase in the number of armed conflicts. In this regard, the head of state expressed his readiness to defend national interests with arms in hand: “We can justifiably publicly confirm our peace-loving policy and the absence of hostility towards other states. And at the same time, declare their determination to defend their national interests, including, if necessary, using the entire military organization of the state.

According to the Belarusian president, the people will not forgive the government if it does not ensure their safety. “Therefore, if the last ruble remains in the budget or the state pocket, then it should be spent on the security of our people, on the safe life of the people. That's the main thing."

In this context, a reasonable question arises: what are the real combat capabilities of the Belarusian army? And what really needs to be done to bring its combat capability in line with the requirements of the moment?

The Armed Forces of independent Belarus had a very solid base - the Red Banner Belarusian Military District (KBVO), the most powerful in the Soviet Union. He "propped up" the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, stationed on the territory of the then GDR, that is, he was in the most important strategic direction at that time.

In addition to a huge armed group, there was an infrastructure on the territory of the BSSR that ensured the vital activity and combat use of these troops if necessary. Namely: warehouses, the densest network of access roads in the USSR, stocks of military equipment intended for the deployment of an army of 500 thousand here, and according to some sources, even a million people.

The date of creation of the Belarusian army can be considered March 20, 1992, when the government decree "On the creation of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus" was adopted. In accordance with it, the former troops of the KBVO began to be transformed into the army of an independent country.

The reform took place in two stages. At the first (1992), the troops were reduced by almost 30 thousand people, their operational mission was determined, and the main guiding documents were developed. At the second stage (1993-1994), the reduction of the army was basically completed, its structural transformations were carried out, and the management system was reformed.

In Soviet times, the total number of troops on the territory of Belarus amounted to more than 280 thousand military personnel, workers and employees. The concentration of military units and formations here was the highest in Europe. One military man accounted for 43 civilians. (For comparison: in Ukraine - by 98, in Kazakhstan - by 118, in Russia - by 634 people.)

For a relatively small European country with a population of ten million, such an exorbitantly large Armed Forces was useless: it was too expensive to maintain and equip. In addition, their total number, in accordance with the final act of the Helsinki Agreement of July 10, 1992, should not exceed 100 thousand military personnel.

In this regard, in 1992-1996, more than 250 military formations that came under the jurisdiction of Belarus ceased to exist or were transformed. By 2005, the total strength of the Armed Forces amounted to 62,000 people: 48,000 servicemen and 13,000 civilian personnel. The size of the Belarusian army is still within these limits.

At the same time, the number of military equipment and weapons was seriously reduced. In accordance with the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and the documents adopted in its development, Belarus agreed to limit its armaments to 1,800 tanks, 2,600 armored combat vehicles, 1,615 artillery systems, 260 combat aircraft, 80 attack helicopters.

This reduction was implemented by the beginning of 1996. Around the same time, the process of nuclear missile disarmament of Belarus was completed in accordance with the agreements reached by the USSR and the USA.

Inheritance is a legacy

By this time, the structural reform of the army had also been basically completed. Thus, combined-arms and tank armies were transformed into army corps, and then operational-tactical commands were created on their basis; motorized rifle and tank divisions - into separate mechanized brigades (or into storage bases for weapons and equipment); the airborne division, a separate airborne brigade, as well as the 5th brigade of the GRU special forces - into the Mobile Forces (later - the Special Operations Forces) as part of three mobile brigades; air divisions and regiments - to air bases.

At the final stage of the reform, there was a division of powers between the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff, as is customary in most countries of the world. Since December 2001, the Armed Forces have been transferred to a two-service structure: ground forces and air forces and air defense forces.

Now the Belarusian Armed Forces have two operational-tactical commands (Western and North-Western), which include 3 mechanized, 2 mobile (air assault), 1 special forces, 2 missile, 5 artillery, 2 anti-aircraft missile brigades of the ground forces, 3 air bases, 5 anti-aircraft missile and 2 radio engineering brigades of the Air Force and Air Defense. (We emphasize: based on the experience of the first and second wars in the Persian Gulf and the Balkan war, a powerful air defense system was deployed in Belarus.)

As for the recruitment of the Armed Forces, we settled on a mixed principle: both at the expense of conscripts and contract soldiers. It is preserved to this day. This allows Belarus, if necessary, to put a solid contingent under arms - about half a million people.

The draft age in the country is from 18 to 27 years. A conscript who graduated from a higher educational institution serves 1 year, and for all the rest, the period of stay in the army is 18 months. In addition, Belarus provides for contract service. And from the second half of 2016, an alternative service is being introduced. Spring conscription takes place in May, autumn - in November.
(For more information on legal acts related to military service, see official website of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Belarus ).

A unified system of military education, training and retraining of army personnel has also been created, including the training of specialized specialists at the military faculties of civilian universities.

And there is something to equip all these military men: in the arsenals of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus there are about 1600 tanks, 2500 armored vehicles, 1490 artillery systems. Even after all the reductions in the number of tanks, armored vehicles and guns per thousand military personnel, Belarus ranks first in Europe.

And its closest neighbors - Poland and Ukraine (before the events in the Donbass and related losses) - Belarus also surpasses in the absolute number of heavy weapons of the ground forces: in tanks - by 1.8 and 2.1 times, respectively; for armored vehicles - by 1.6 and 1.2 times; for heavy artillery systems - 2 and 1.3 times. As for another neighbor - Lithuania, then there is nothing to compare, since this NATO outpost does not have its own tanks at all, and the armored vehicles and guns “weep a lot”.

However, all these comparisons are rather arbitrary, since the entire military potential of the North Atlantic Alliance is on the side of Poland and Lithuania. On the other hand, Belarus is an ally of a huge nuclear power - Russia. Nevertheless, these calculations fully support the thesis that the Belarusian army is a fairly significant military force on the scale of the Eastern European region.

And this applies not only to the number of weapons. The structure and principle of manning the Armed Forces of Belarus, in general, correspond to those adopted in Europe. According to the training and training of soldiers, the Belarusian army, according to experts, is also among the most combat-ready on the continent. The main emphasis in the training of personnel is on actions in the conditions of mobile defense.

Among the priority areas of technical improvement of the Armed Forces of Belarus is the development of air defense, aviation, missile forces, forces and means of electronic warfare, intelligence, and communications.

Is the sword strong enough?

However, it would be biased to speak of the Belarusian army only in superlative terms. One of its main problems is the aging of weapons and military equipment (AME), as well as the infrastructure that ensures the activities of the Armed Forces. They are still Soviet, over time the state of weapons and military equipment is constantly deteriorating, the maintenance of their fleet becomes more and more expensive, more and more funds are required for repairs and modernization.

At some point, these costs become unbearable. For this reason, in 2012, all Su-24 front-line bombers and Su-27 fighters were withdrawn from the Belarusian Air Force and Air Defense Forces. But a huge amount of money is needed in order to purchase new equipment to replace the retired one. Today a combat aircraft costs 30-50 million dollars, one tank costs 2.5-3 million dollars. And you need a lot of such combat units.

The poor Belarusian state cannot afford such expenses. As a result, the proportion of modern weapons and military equipment in the Belarusian army tends to decrease. Even high-ranking military officials are forced to admit that the pace of its rearmament is behind schedule. The situation became especially aggravated with the onset of the economic crisis.

The modernization of the Belarusian army could be accelerated by the assistance of Russia, which has an immeasurably great potential for military science and the defense industry. It is known that Minsk has long sent Moscow orders for short-range anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) "Tor-M2" and long-range systems (SAM) S-400, operational-tactical systems (OTRK) "Iskander", etc.

The same list includes Su-30 and Su-34 combat aircraft, Yak-130 combat training aircraft, modernized Il-76 transport aircraft, and Mi-28N attack helicopters. All these samples were included in the State program of rearmament of the Republic of Belarus for 2006-2015.

But the loss of a number of technologies and the shortage of production capacities at the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex, along with the high cost of military equipment and weapons, have become a serious obstacle to the implementation of programs for the rearmament of the Belarusian army at the expense of the Russian military-industrial complex. To this should be added the economic difficulties that Russia itself has been experiencing lately.

As Minister of Defense of the Republic Andrey Ravkov said on December 21, 2015 in an interview with the Arsenal program of the Belarusian television, over the past five years, the Tor-M2 air defense systems were purchased and put into service for the Air Force and Air Defense Forces of the country as part of a division, a link (4 units .) UBS Yak-130, as well as 4 anti-aircraft missile divisions of S-300PS air defense systems from the presence of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

In the future, the leadership of the military department of Belarus hopes, despite the difficulties (of its own and of a partner), to purchase Su-30 multifunctional fighters from Russia, continue the purchase of Yak-130 aircraft and Tor-M2 air defense systems, as well as equipment and equipment for the needs of radio engineering troops.

According to a recent statement by the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Republic of Belarus, Major General Igor Lotenkov, Belarus and Russia have reached a preliminary agreement on the supply of Su-30 fighters for the needs of the Belarusian Air Force and Air Defense Forces to replace the MiG-29 fighters, which are already in service for about 30 years. “Having calculated what their content means to us, we came to the conclusion that the renewal of the fleet of aircraft, albeit in a slightly smaller amount, will require not so significant amounts of funding.”

Meanwhile, given the insignificant amount of funds that Belarus is able to allocate for the re-equipment of its Armed Forces, there is no need to talk about any significant deliveries of military innovations from the Russian Federation to Belarus. And, apparently, this situation can exist indefinitely.

And don't be bad

The situation can be at least partially corrected by the Belarusian military-industrial complex, which, along with the implementation of programs for the modernization of existing weapons and military equipment, produces navigation instruments, flight systems, space and satellite communications, antenna devices, radio stations, on-board and stationary computer systems, automation systems and software, as well as optical-mechanical, control and assembly equipment for the manufacture of ultra-large integrated circuits.

The results of the domestic defense industry are significant in the development of aerospace optoelectronic equipment for obtaining digital electronic maps of the Earth's surface, navigation support for high-precision weapons. Unique application software systems provide control of radar and laser-optical missile defense systems, missile attack warning stations. Currently, Belarus produces a number of samples of special and dual-purpose equipment, which has no foreign analogues at all.

According to the statement of the Chairman of the State Military-Industrial Committee (GVPK) Sergey Gurulev, made by him on January 29, 2016 at the board of the department with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko and Defense Minister Andrei Ravkov, over the past five years, organizations of the military-industrial complex have created and mastered in production a number of new promising types of weapons and military equipment.

These are modern communication and information transmission systems (hardware communication cabin P-261 "Muskat", radio relay station "Citrus", radio relay station "Potok" (R-429) and "Line" (R-424), portable digital radio stations R- 180 and R-181, electronic warfare and radar equipment (Vostok, Rosa-RB, the Groza jamming complex, the Naves radio navigation and GPS jamming system). radar stations in service with the Armed Forces of Belarus.

New models of unmanned aerial vehicles "Berkut-1", "Berkut-2" (adopted for service), "Grif-100" (delivery is scheduled for 2016) have appeared. Brought to production readiness and the system of robotic weapons "Adunok". Tests of a new long-range multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) Polonaise, which took place in China in June 2015, confirmed the widest capabilities of this high-precision weapon.

At the Minsk plant of wheel tractors, universal means of mobility of weapons MZKT-600200, MZKT-500200 "Zastava" were created and put into production. Specialists of MZKT OJSC in a short time developed and prepared for production the Lis lightly armored combat vehicle, the design of the domestic V-1 lightly armored vehicle began.

The implementation of programs to extend the service life of existing weapons continues. The repair and modernization of Su-25 and MiG-29 aircraft, the modernization of the BM-21 Grad MLRS to the level of BM-21-M Belgrade have been mastered and are being carried out. As a result, the activities of defense enterprises contributed to the adoption by the Armed Forces of Belarus of about 900 units of the latest, modernized and repaired types of weapons and military and special equipment.

But, as in the case of the purchase of Russian weapons, the main deterrent to the process of rearmament of the Belarusian army at the expense of the potential of its own military-industrial complex is the more than modest economic opportunities of the country. To find the necessary financial resources, according to the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, it would be possible by actively increasing the export of military and dual-use technologies. Some independent analysts do not agree with him, who believe that the problem of military modernization cannot be solved without modernizing the country as a whole.

And yet, according to a large number of experts, despite the problems described above, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus are still among the most combat-ready in the post-Soviet space. According to Alexander Khramchikhin, deputy director of the Institute of Political and Military Analysis, in the foreseeable future the Belarusian Armed Forces can be considered "quite successful and adequate to the geopolitical situation."

Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a working visit to Belarus again on February 25. The military-political alliance with Russia is spelled out in the new edition of the military doctrine of Belarus. At the same time, Minsk today believes that there is no threat of military action against it at the moment. The head of the Belarusian Defense Ministry, Andrei Ravkov, said on the eve that the republic does not plan to switch to a fully contract army and refuse to be drafted. According to him, military service allows you to quickly prepare a mobilization reserve that can be used in wartime.

“There are few contract armies in the world. The contract army at the present stage for Belarus is premature and incorrect. To understand whether it is necessary to switch to this or not, you need to look at those states where the war began. Take Ukraine: first, for several years, they positioned the transition from the army on conscription to the army on contract. But as soon as something started, they switched to conscription, to military service, ”Ravkov said in an interview with the Belarus 1 TV channel.

As President of the Republic Alexander Lukashenko noted, the system of territorial defense is currently being improved in the country, and the experience of the armed forces of Ukraine is being actively studied. Special operations forces of Belarus pay special attention to counteracting hybrid wars, preventing military conflicts on the territory of their country. At the same time, the Belarusian military states that not only the conflict in Ukraine is a danger, but the deployment of NATO near the borders of Belarus is of concern.

“Military danger always exists. Including the deployment of NATO forces and assets near the borders with Belarus, the increase in a series of combat operational training activities near our borders, as well as the military conflict in Ukraine - all this is a military danger ... But in order to develop into a [military] threat, there must be some specific actions of a prospective or potential adversary. There are no such actions yet, we cannot say that we now have the threat of unleashing a war. There is always a danger, but there is no threat,” the Minister of Defense said.

Army of a peaceful country

The army of Belarus after the collapse of the USSR was formed in several stages, the date of its creation is the day the resolution "On the creation of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus" was adopted on March 20, 1992. In Soviet times, the total number of troops on the territory of Belarus amounted to more than 280 thousand military and civilian personnel.

The concentration of military units and formations in Belarus during the Soviet era was the highest in Europe.

One military man accounted for 43 civilians, while in Ukraine the ratio was one to 98, in Kazakhstan - one to 118, and in Russia itself - one military man to 634 civilians.

In 1992-1996, more than 250 military formations in Belarus were partially reformed or completely ceased to exist, due to the fact that, in accordance with the final act of the Helsinki Agreement of July 10, 1992, the total number of the army should not exceed 100 thousand military personnel .

The Belarusian Armed Forces have two types of troops - ground forces and air forces and air defense forces (Air Force and Air Defense, which includes the Air Force, anti-aircraft missile, radio engineering and special troops and services). The Special Operations Forces (SOF) of the Republic also report directly to the General Staff. There are special troops (services), rear services. It is curious that Belarus is characterized by the annual involvement of military personnel in civilian activities: for example, for harvesting.

The armed forces by 2005 consisted of 62 thousand people: 48 thousand military personnel and 13 thousand civilian personnel. The size of the Belarusian army is still within these limits, according to open sources, another 350 thousand people are in the reserve. Officially, the Belarusian military does not give exact figures.

“What is the size of the armed forces in peacetime, I have no right to say,” Vladimir Makarov, head of the information department of the main department of ideological work of the Belarusian Defense Ministry, explained. - But there is a classic indicator, it is typical for the 20th century, and for the current century - 10% of the country's population. For example, Nazi Germany violated this pattern and mobilized 13%, and at the end of the war, about 16% of the country's population. The size of the Red Army during the war years was a maximum of 6.5-7.5% of the population of the Soviet Union. In other words, we can theoretically put 900 thousand people under arms, but, of course, we don’t need so many,” he added.

According to the results of the reforms, according to open sources, now the Belarusian Armed Forces have two operational-tactical commands (Western and North-Western), including three mechanized, two air assault, one special forces, two missile, five artillery, two anti-aircraft missile brigades ground forces, three air bases, five anti-aircraft missile and two radio engineering brigades of the Air Force and Air Defense.

The most numerous and versatile type of armed forces in Belarus are the ground forces, which have great fire and strike power, high maneuverability and independence.

The problem of obsolescence and lack of money

The problem of the Armed Forces of Belarus is the aging of weapons and military equipment and infrastructure, as well as a small budget.

The army of the republic is armed mainly with Soviet equipment, which requires more and more financial investments in repairs and modernization. Belarusian analysts note that precisely because of the increase in repair costs in 2012, all Su-24 front-line bombers and Su-27 fighters were withdrawn from service.

As weapons expert Viktor Murakhovsky explained in an interview with Gazeta.Ru, with the help of Russia, Belarus is currently modernizing MiG-29 fighters and a small number of helicopters. On its own, the republic repairs the S-125 Pechora anti-aircraft missile systems, which it also sells abroad in its “own version”. The Belarusians independently carry out the repair of armored vehicles and automated control systems. Belarusian repair plants produce the necessary components, but when it comes to more high-tech systems, you can’t do it on your own. “For example, they are modernizing the Osa complexes. And more technological complexes like Buk are working with Russia, similarly with the S-300 system, ”says Murakhovsky.

According to Vladimir Zharikhin, Deputy Director of the CIS Institute, the Belarusian military-industrial complex (DIC) is an important element for the Russian military industry. Work in Belarus is carried out according to the same standards as in Russia.

“As for the Belarusian military industry, it is small, but quite modern and progressive.

The same tractors they make are quite satisfying for the Russian missile forces. The Russian S-300 and S-400 air defense systems are also based on them. The Belarusian defense industry is an important part of the Russian-Belarusian defense complex,” Zharikhin said.

Recall that some time ago, Russia even tried to acquire the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant, which supplies the Russian defense industry with chassis for Iskander tactical missile systems, Uragan, Smerch, Grad, Tornado multiple launch rocket systems, and also anti-aircraft missile systems S-300 and S-400 and air defense systems "Buk" and "Tor". Belarus refused to sell the enterprise, moreover, the republic expects to create its own multiple launch rocket system with a range of more than 200 km by 2017. In addition, the country has already created the Polonaise multiple launch rocket system, which has been put into service and should be delivered to the troops before July 1, 2016, they even want to start exporting it.

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko regularly emphasizes the need to develop domestic military products and improve their quality. “It is not clear, for example, why we buy the same bulletproof vests in Russia if we have learned how to make them at home?

I ask a simple question: why is this necessary? Do we not have enough of our own [equipment]? Upgrade it.

Perhaps the quality of our defense sector of the economy is not yet up to world brands, and the cost is slightly more expensive than foreign ones. Thus, we must work together to bring domestic products to the required quality. Including during its operation in the army. Any product produced in the military-industrial complex must be immediately given to the army and tested there thoroughly, ”Lukashenko said in October 2015. Wherein

there is no talk of total import substitution in the Belarusian defense industry.

Including cooperation with Russia, Minsk also intends to support and improve. The State Military-Industrial Committee of Belarus names Russia, China and "many other countries" as the main partners.

“We have an agreement and an agreement [with Russia] on military-technical cooperation, it is strictly and strictly implemented, there is a program until 2020. Despite the tough measures taken by the Russian government in terms of tightening access to the state defense order, we have the opportunity to work with Russia, ”said Sergey Gurulev, head of the department.

The date "2020" in Belarus is associated with big plans for the rearmament of the army. So, after this milestone, the country must decide on the purchase of Russian S-400 Triumph missile systems and operational-tactical Iskanders, and perhaps even more advanced equipment, if any. According to Igor Latenkov, Deputy Minister of Defense for Armaments, the issue of purchasing Su-30SM fighters to replace the current and aging MiG-29 will also be decided at the same time.

“The ability to destroy air targets after the acquisition of the Su-30 will increase, and combat missions due to a larger tactical radius can be performed from any airfield in the country,” he said in an interview with the SB newspaper. Belarus today.

In a much more foreseeable future, the army of Belarus should receive from Kazan 12 Mi-8MTV-5 helicopters, a battery of Tor-M2 air defense systems. In addition, upgraded T-72B tanks with a new fire control system, updated armored personnel carriers and armored vehicles should enter service this year.

In the spring of 2015, the Belarusian Air Force received four of the latest Yak-130 combat training aircraft from Russia, the second contract (for four more units) was signed during the MAKS-2015 air show in August. And Minsk wants more. “In the near future, it is planned to purchase eight more of the same aircraft. As a result, a full-fledged squadron of the Yak-130 will be created and training of flight personnel will be organized, ”Oleg Dvigalev, commander of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces of the republic, told Belarusian Military Newspaper at the end of August. According to him, the replacement of obsolete Soviet Su-25 attack aircraft is also being discussed.

sore point

Airplanes are a very relevant topic for Belarus. It is not for nothing that the question of locating a Russian airbase on the territory of the republic has been regularly popping up lately. For example, the RF Ministry of Defense and the Air Force Command announced plans two years ago to deploy a regiment of Su-27SM3 fighters in Belarus in 2015. There was no clear understanding of where exactly they were supposed to be based: in their statements, the Russian military mentioned either the airfield of the city of Lida, then Bobruisk, or Baranovichi. It should be noted that within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), whose members are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, the issue of creating a collective aviation force of the organization is being discussed. In August 2015, CSTO Deputy Secretary General Valery Semerikov reported that the proposal had already been prepared and the CSTO aviation forces would directly ensure the transfer of common forces and assets to one or another region of collective security.

When in 2015 the topic of deploying Russian pilots in Belarus began to be actively discussed in the media, the head of the republic hastened to refute these plans, citing the fact that there were no such conversations: “Lord, I don’t know anything about this! The person who should make this decision, I don’t know anything about it!” Lukashenka was outraged.

Associate Professor of the Department of International Security at the Faculty of World Politics of Moscow State University Alexei Fenenko explained to Gazeta.Ru that the proposal to locate a Russian air base in Belarus was made 20 years ago by the president of the republic himself. “Lukashenko proposed this to Russia back in 1996, when the first wave of NATO expansion to the east was underway, he proposed to place tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus and create air bases. But Russia then refused, announced the return of nuclear weapons to the Baltic Fleet, and that was it," he said.

For 20 years, the realities have changed, today Alexander Lukashenko is not in the mood to place a Russian Air Force base on his territory. It is understandable, the country is trying to conduct multipolar relations, is establishing interaction with Europe, and the Russian military in Belarus could cause concern on the Western side.

Instead of an air base, Lukashenka offers Russia a completely logical option - to provide aircraft to Minsk. “Two years ago I asked the President of Russia: “Give us planes! Give me 20 planes.” In order for us to ensure the defense of them [Russia], we now have a joint air defense of Russia and Belarus, ”Lukashenko said.

“No, we can’t, we can’t produce, and so on,” was the answer. “I invited the leaders of our plant - we just have a plant in Baranovichi for the repair and modernization of aircraft. I set the task: to put ten aircraft into operation this year,” the president explained at a meeting with representatives of the defense industry in the fall of 2015. - In November, they will give the tenth aircraft. Excellent aircraft, modernized, fighters that worked "air-to-air", today they work on the ground."

Separately, the president emphasized the qualities of his pilots. “We have excellent pilots, we have a good school for military and civilian pilots. And why should I create a base? Why should I bring planes and pilots from other countries here today? And what will they do with theirs? - noted the Belarusian president. Belarusian pilots, participating in frequent joint exercises with Russia, regularly improve their level of training. They also demonstrate their skills by participating in the Aviadarts competition, which has been held for several years at training grounds in the Russian Federation - crews from Belarus take prizes in competitions. By the way, the competition of military pilots is indeed an indicator of skill: a Gazeta.Ru source in the Russian Ministry of Defense said that all Russian crews participating in Aviadarts today went through an operation of the Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria, where only the best are sent.

“In my opinion, from a military-technical point of view, this is a normal option,” says military expert Murakhovsky. —

We can go for this and lease planes to them, just as we are going for such an option with India and nuclear submarines, I think that nothing prevents us from working together with Belarus in aviation as well.”

Expert Fenenko also considers this option of military-technical cooperation acceptable. "Why not? Depending on what kind of aircraft they want, why not: of course, we cannot transfer strategists to them, but if it is front-line aviation, then completely. Especially within the framework of the CSTO,” he said in an interview with Gazeta.Ru.

Of course, Belarus is not talking about strategic bombers. It would be quite logical to transfer modernized Su-27 fighters to Minsk. According to Murakhovsky, these could also be more modern Su-30SM aircraft.

From the point of view of Vladimir Zharikhin, deputy director of the CIS Institute, Russia does not have a “large surplus” of Su-27s: “In previous years, their production was mainly for export, it cannot be said that we have an excess of these aircraft that we could give away - we ourselves need ", - he said. At the same time, the expert stressed that Russia provides Belarus with "the full power of its nuclear missile forces", guaranteeing that no one "pokes its head" into this country. “Belarus, as a military-political ally of Russia, is under the Russian nuclear umbrella, so the combat readiness of the Belarusian Armed Forces to resist an attack can be considered in a purely theoretical sense,” the source added.

According to the Kremlin's press service, Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a working visit to Belarus on February 25, the agenda of which provides for the adoption of the budget of the Union State for 2016, the approval of the Program of Coordinated Actions in the field of foreign policy for 2016-2017 and a number of other bilateral issues.

Republic of Belarus(RB) is the northern neighbor of Ukraine, the border with which is long (1084 km). The relations of our states have so far been good-neighborly, and Ukraine never expected an attack from this direction. However, Ukraine did not expect an attack from its eastern neighbor, Russia, but it happened. Positional battles of low intensity are now taking place in the Donbass, but a large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine cannot be ruled out. And Belarus and Russia are in the special relationship of the Union State, where Russia is the leading country and sponsor of Belarus, and their armed forces are integrated into the regional grouping of forces. In addition, Belarus is a key ally of Russia in the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Today, Belarus is trying to protect itself from Ukraine: it is strengthening its southern borders, creating new border detachments, conducting numerous exercises and trainings, strengthening control over border crossings, etc.

Under these circumstances, there is particular concern the possibility of using the territory of Belarus as a springboard for an attack by the armed forces (AF) of Russia on Ukraine, as well as the likelihood that the Belarusian Armed Forces will take part in a joint aggression against Ukraine with the Russian Armed Forces. In connection with the latter, it is of interest sun Belarus - their organization, weapons, as well as the possibility of rearmament with more modern military equipment.

The Armed Forces of Belarus were created after the country's independence was declared on the basis of the Belarusian Military District of the USSR Armed Forces, for which, on September 20, 1991, a resolution of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus "On the creation of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus" was adopted. Officially, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus were created on March 20, 1992, and on November 3, 1992, the Law "On the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus" was adopted.

At present, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus include two types of armed forces - the ground forces (SV), as well as the Air Force with air defense forces. In addition, there is a separate branch of the armed forces - Special Operations Forces (SOF), special and transport troops, weapons service, rear services, military units and organizations for support, maintenance and protection, military universities, etc.

The Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus in 2016 had 65 thousand people. (including 48 thousand military personnel). For the Armed Forces, a mixed recruitment principle is used (60% of contract soldiers and 40% of conscripts). The military budget in 2016 was 800 million dollars (in 2014 - 750 million dollars)

SV (16.5 thousand people) - the most numerous type of the Armed Forces, designed to repel an armed enemy attack, hold occupied areas and lines, and defeat infiltrated groupings of troops.

The SVs are controlled by the General Staff and organizationally divided into two operational commands (OC): North-Western (Lithuanian-Latvian direction) and Western (Polish and Ukrainian directions), as well as separate formations and units of central subordination. The operational composition of the SV, see below.

Northwestern Operational Command (headquarters in Borisov):

• 19th Nicholas-Budapest separate mechanized brigade(OMBR, Zaslonovo): 10 battalions (3 motorized rifle, 2 tank, reconnaissance, communications, engineering and sapper, repair and maintenance and material support), an artillery group of 4 divisions (2 self-propelled howitzers (SG), MLRS and anti-tank) , an anti-aircraft missile and artillery battalion and a medical company. A total of 1.5 thousand people in the brigade, 72 T-72B tanks, 185 armored combat vehicles (155 BMP-2, 20 BRM-1K, 10 MT-LB), 30 SPTRK (18 9P148 "Konkurs" and 12 9P149 "Shturm- C"), 72 artillery systems (6 120-mm mortars 2S12 "Sani" and 12 82-mm BM-37, 18 122-mm SG 2S1 "Gvozdika" and 18 152-mm 2S3 "Acacia", 18 122-mm MLRS " Grad") and others;


• 120th Rogachev OMBr(Minsk) , 82nd repair and restoration battalion);


• 3rd BKhVT (Uruchie, Minsk), the 3rd OMBR can be deployed on its base;

Personnel and armament of the 120th Specialized Brigade and 37th BKhVT: 1.75 thousand people, 135 T-72B, 300 armored combat vehicles (250 BMP-2, 40 BRM-1K, 10 MT-LB), 60 SPTRK (36 "Competition" and 24 "Shturm-S"), St. 120 artillery systems (36 Gvozdika SG, 36 Akatsiya SG, 12 Msta-S, 36 Grad MLRS, etc.) and other weapons;

• 231st Artillery Brigade(Abr, Borovka; 4 artillery divisions (Adn), 36 152-mm self-propelled guns (SP) "Hyacinth" and 36 152-mm howitzers 2A65 "Msta-B");


• 427th Reactive Artillery Regiment (Osipovichi; 3 Reactive Battalions (Redn), 36 220-mm MLRS BM-27 Uragan, trimmed);


• 740th Minsk Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (Borisov; 3 anti-aircraft missile divisions (ZRdn), 36 BM ZRK 9A33BM3 Osa-AKM, squadroned);


• 42nd separate radio engineering battalion;


• 244th electronic intelligence center;


• 7th Torun Engineer Regiment (Borisov);


• 60th Separate Baranovichi Communications Regiment (Borisov);


• 814th maintenance center (Borisov; 2 repair and restoration battalions);


• 37th Rechitsa BKhVT (Polotsk), the 37th Motorized Rifle Brigade can be deployed at its base;


• 110th Separate Regiment of Material Support (Borisov).

Western Operational Command (headquarters in Grodno):

• 6th Kiev-Berlin OMBr(Grodno): 1.5 thousand people, 72 T-72B, 190 armored combat vehicles (160 BMP-2, 20 BRM-1K, 10 MT-LB), 30 SPTRK (18 "Konkurs" and 12 "Shturm-S" ), 72 artillery systems (6 Sani mortars and 12 BM-37, 18 Gvozdika SG, 18 Akatsiya SG, 18 Grad MLRS), etc.;


• 11th Capatian-Berlin OMBr(Slonim): 1.5 thousand people, 62 T-72B, 155 armored combat vehicles (130 BMP-2, 20 BRM-1K, 5 MT-LB), 30 SPTRK (18 "Konkurs" and 12 "Shturm-S" ), 72 artillery systems (18 BM-37 mortars, 18 Gvozdika SG, 18 Akatsiya SG, 18 Grad MLRS), etc.;


• 111th Artillery Brigade(Brest; 4 Adn, 36 SP "Hyacinth-S" and 36 howitzers "Msta-B");


• 1199th Reactive Artillery Regiment (Slobudka; 3rd Redn, 36th Uragan MLRS, trimmed);


• 62nd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (Grodno; 3 ZRdn, 36 Osa-AKM launchers, squadroned);


• 215th separate radio engineering regiment;


• 36th separate radio engineering battalion;


• 255th Separate Radio Engineering Regiment for Special Purpose (Novogrudok);


• 557th engineering brigade (Grodno);


• 74th separate Berlin communications regiment (Grodno);


• 815th maintenance center;


• 50th Donetsk BKhVT (Baranovichi), the 50th Specialized Motorized Rifle Brigade can be deployed at its base;


• 108th Separate Regiment of Material Support.

Connections and parts of the central subordination :

• 361st separate security and maintenance base (Minsk; security battalion, 2 automobile battalions);


• 465th Missile Brigade(Osipovichi; 3 Rdn, OTRK "Tochka-U");


• 336th Jet Brigade(Osipovichi; 3 Redn and 1 battery, 36 300-mm MLRS BM-30 "Smerch" and 4 301-mm V-200 "Polonaise");


• 51st Orsha Artillery Brigade(Osipovichi; 4 Adn, 36 "Msta-B" and 36 "Hyacinth-S");


• 2287th separate radio engineering battalion (Brest);


• 2nd engineering brigade (Minsk);


• 188th engineering brigade (Mogilev).

Separate mechanized brigadesare the main combat formations of the SV. The brigade usually includes a command, 10 battalions (3 motorized rifle, 2 tank, reconnaissance, communications, engineering, repair and maintenance and material support), an artillery group, an anti-aircraft missile and artillery battalion and a medical company. The 120th Motorized Rifle Brigade has 3 tank and 2 motorized rifle battalions, the rest of the units - see above.

In the 6th, 11th and 19th OMBR62-72 T-72B tanks, 155-190 armored combat vehicles (130-160 BMP-2, 20 BRM-1K, 5-10 MT-LB), 72 artillery systems (18 Sani or BM-37 mortars, 18 SG "Carnation" and 18 "Acacia", 18 MLRS "Grad"), 6 guns "Rapier", 30 SPTRK (18 "Competition" and 12 "Shturm-S"), 6 BM SAM "Strela-10", 6 ZPRK " Tunguska" or ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" and 54 MANPADS "Igla".

The 120th Motorized Rifle Brigade has 94 T-72B tanks, 115 armored combat vehicles (90 BMP-2, 20 BRM-1K, 5 MT-LB), 78 artillery systems (18 Gvozdika SG, 18 Akatsia and 12 Msta- S", 18 Grad MLRS), 6 Rapira guns, 30 SPTRKs (18 Konkurs and 12 Shturm-S), 6 BM Strela-10 air defense systems, 6 Tunguska air defense systems and 54 MANPADS" Needle". In terms of composition, organization and armament, this brigade is actually a tank brigade, it is the main strike formation of the SV.

On the basis of each OMBR of a reduced composition, training centers for the service of reservists were organized, which, over the course of three years, undergo 4-6 high-intensity training camps. As reported, before 2011, the 37th and 50th motorized brigade of the reduced composition were again folded to the BKhVT.

In addition, in the NE of the Republic of Belarus there is another BHVT (3rd), formed by the merger of the 3rd and 30th BHVT. It is located in the Uruchcha garrison, Minsk, and one OMBR can be deployed at its base. The Military Academy (2.5 thousand cadets, several hundred teachers) is located in the same garrison, and on its base (plus the recruiting contingent of Minsk) 1-2 OMBRs can also be deployed. And the 72nd training center (up to 5,000 people) is located in Pechi, and up to two separate detached brigade units can also be deployed on its base (plus the draft contingent of the city of Borisov). In total, after the deployment of the 3rd, 37th and 50th BKhVT in the SV there will be seven OMBRs, and after the full deployment of the SV they can have up to ten OMBRs, but three of them will be reduced in strength and with outdated weapons.

Combat training in the SV RB. Every year, the MBR conducts brigade exercises with the call-up of part of the assigned staff from the reserve and general military exercises, and once every 2 years - general military exercises, in which 7-9 thousand people participate. In addition, selective checks are periodically carried out, during which the brigade is carried out in full readiness - several thousand people are called up and weapons and military equipment are removed from storage. In 2005, the 28th BHVT was checked, in 2007 - the 19th BHVT.

Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus ( 6 thousand people) - highly mobile branch of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, which is the successor to the Airborne Forces and Special Forces of the Armed Forces of the USSR, and created on their basis in 2007. They are highly mobile rapid reaction formations and are the most combat-ready troops in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus.

MTRs include:

• 38th Guards Separate Mobile Brigade(Brest);


• 103rd Guards Separate Airborne Brigade(Vitebsk);


• 5th Separate Special Purpose Brigade(SpN, Maryina Gorka).

There are also Special Forces units to perform tasks of particular importance:

• 33rd Guards separate detachment of Special Forces (from officers and ensigns);


• Special detachment of the 5th separate brigade of the Special Forces ("officer company");


• 527th separate company of Special Forces;


• 22nd company of the Special Forces (Western Operational Command).

Separate mobile brigade has a control, 4 battalions (2 mobile on the BTR-80, airmobile, communications), an artillery division (D-30 howitzers), an anti-aircraft missile and artillery division (ZU-23 and Igla MANPADS), an anti-tank battery (Fagot ATGM) , 6 companies (reconnaissance, engineer-sapper, security and maintenance, repair, material support, medical) and a platoon of RHBZ. The mobile battalion has up to 36 armored personnel carriers-80, 6 BM-37 82-mm mortars, 6 AGS-17 30-mm grenade launchers, 6 Metis anti-tank systems and MAZ-6317 vehicles.

In total, the brigade has up to 1.8 thousand people, 75 armored personnel carriers-80, 18 82-mm BM-37 mortars, 18 30-mm AGS-17 grenade launchers, 24 anti-tank systems (18 "Metis" and 6 "Fagot"), 12 122-mm howitzers D-30, 6 23-mm ZU-23, MANPADS "Igla".

Separate airborne brigade probably similar to the mobile brigade. However, it is possible that she transferred her mobile battalions to her and received an airmobile battalion in return. Although there are not enough transport planes and helicopters of the Air Force to ensure air mobility for this brigade.

Separate Special Forces Brigade has management, 4 detachments (3 Special Forces, communications) and 3 companies (headquarters, logistics, medical). The SPP brigade has armored vehicles (BA) "Cayman", light BA "Tiger" and "Bogatyr".

Air Force and Air Defense Forces of the Republic of Belarus (15 thousand people) were originally created separately, as the Air Force and Air Defense Forces. In particular, on June 15, 1992, on the basis of the Directorate of the 26th Air Army of the USSR Air Force, the command of the Air Force of the Republic of Belarus was formed, and on August 1, 1992, on the basis of the Air Defense Directorate of the Belarusian Military District and the 2nd Separate Air Defense Army, the command of the Air Defense Forces was formed RB. In 2001, the Air Force and Air Defense Forces of Belarus were merged into one branch of the Armed Forces.

Their operational staff includes:

• Air Force and Air Defense Command (Minsk);


• 61st Fighter Air Base(Baranovichi, 24 MiG-29s plus 21 Su-27s in storage);


• 50th mixed air base(Machulishchi, aircraft: 2 Il-76MD, 5 An-26/24, 2 An-12, 1 Tu-134; helicopters: 7 Mi-24, 8 Mi-8, 12 Mi-8MTV-5, 5 Mi-26 );


• 116th Guards Radom Assault Air Base(Lida, 12 Su-25s plus 20 in storage), as well as the 206th flight personnel training center (8 Yak-130s, ? L-39);


• 483rd security, maintenance and support base (Minsk);


• 8th Radio Engineering Brigade (Baranovichi);


• 49th radio engineering brigade (Valeryanovo, Minsk region);


• 56th Tilsitsky separate communications regiment (Minsk);


• 83rd separate engineering airfield regiment (Bobruisk, Grodno);


• 1st anti-aircraft missile regiment(Grodno, 2 ZRdn each with 12 S-300PS air defense launchers);


• 15th anti-aircraft missile brigade(Fanipol, Minsk region, 5 air defense systems each with 8 S-300PT air defense launchers);


• 56th anti-aircraft missile brigade(Slutsk, Minsk region, 2 air defense systems with 6 self-propelled guns and 3 ROMs of the Buk-M1 air defense system);


• 115th anti-aircraft missile regiment(Brest-Grodno, 2 air defense systems with 12 S-300PS air defense launchers each);


• 120th Yaroslavl anti-aircraft missile brigade(Baranovichi, 2 air defense systems with 6 self-propelled guns and 3 ROMs of the Buk-M1 air defense system, 1 air defense system with 12 air defense missile systems of the Tor-M2K air defense system);


• 825th anti-aircraft missile regiment(Polotsk, Vitebsk region, 4 air defense systems each with 8 S-300PS air defense launchers);


• 147th anti-aircraft missile brigade(Bobruisk, 3 ZRdn each with 12 launchers and 6 PZU S-300V air defense systems);


• 927th center for the preparation and use of UAVs (Bereza, Brest region).

The pilot's annual flight time is 70-75 hours. 50 posts, 9 command posts of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces, 20 radio engineering units and individual radar stations, 2 anti-aircraft missile battalions, 5 guidance points are on combat duty of the air defense every day.

Territorial Defense Troopswere first demonstrated in 2002 at the Berezina-2002 exercises. Serious hopes are pinned on them in the republic. If Belarus is occupied by the enemy, they must receive weapons and form regional partisan detachments of battalion and company strength. It is much cheaper to maintain such troops than regular armed forces, and besides, Belarus has rich partisan experience. In 2015, against the backdrop of the Ukrainian events, the TO authorities have already taken part in more than 40 events, incl. verification of the system for strengthening the protection of the border in the southern direction and the territorial defense of the Gomel region.

Paramilitary forces(110 thousand people) include the police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (87 thousand people), internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (11 thousand people) and border troops (12 thousand people). Based on the number of forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (98 thousand people) , larger than the Armed Forces by 1.5 times, it is clear that the leadership of Belarus considers the internal threat more serious than the external one.

The defense industry complex of Belarus copes with the repair of weapons and military equipment and the supply of spare parts, and maintenance centers carry out routine maintenance. A limited modernization of a number of weapons and military equipment is also possible, incl. tanks T-72B, BMP-2, MLRS "Grad", SAM "Strela-10" and "Osa-AKM". However, there are no enterprises in the Republic of Belarus that produce the main weapons of the SV (tanks, armored combat vehicles, artillery, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons) in a full cycle. Only trucks and tractors, controls and communications are produced. With the help of Ukraine, the defense industry complex of the Republic of Belarus created anti-tank systems, short-range air defense systems, and with the help of China - MLRS / OTRK, but Belarus does not have enough funds to purchase them in the required quantities.

Armament of the SSO. The mobile and airborne brigades have BTR-70/80 fighters and MAZ-6317 vehicles for transportation. BTR-70 is planned to be upgraded to BTR-70MB1. 32 new BTR-82A were purchased in the Russian Federation. The artillery of the brigades is represented by 122-mm D-30 howitzers and 82-mm BM-37 mortars, anti-tank weapons include Metis and Fagot anti-tank systems, anti-aircraft weapons - 23-mm ZU-23 and Igla MANPADS.

The SPN brigade has medium Belarusian BA 4x4 "Cayman" (created on the chassis of the BRDM-2) and light "Lis-PM" (licensed Russian BA "Tiger"), light Chinese BA 4x4 Dongfeng Mengshi "Bogatyr" and CS / VN-3 "The Dragon". Belarus has created a new BA 4x4 VOLAT V1 and a tracked carrier TGM 3M, and on its basis - a self-propelled gun "Moskit" with anti-tank systems "Shershen-D".

Of the small arms, the MTR has 5.45 mm AK-74M and 5.66 mm APS (underwater) submachine guns, 9 mm 9A-91 and PP-93 submachine guns, silent pistols 7.62 mm PSS and 9- mm PB, machine guns 5.45 mm RPKS-74 (manual) and 7.62 mm PKM (mounted), sniper rifles 7.62 mm SVD and MTs-116M, 9 mm VSK-94 (silent) and 12 .7 mm OSV-96, grenade launchers 40 mm GP-25 (underbarrel), RPG-7D (anti-tank) and 30 mm automatic AGS-17.

The MTR received new equipment: digital radio station R-168-0.1, unloading system, body armor "Atraum", helmets ZSh-1 and P-27, night vision devices and goggles PNN-3 and ONV-2 (AN / PVS-14) , collimator sights PK-AA / AV and night sights PKN-03M, PNV-2K (AN / PVS-17), laser rangefinder DL-1, UAVs, trikes, parachutes "Lesnik-3 / 3M"; tandem parachutes are being tested. The delivery of new UAVs (Moskit-N and Busel M50) is scheduled. This shows that the share of new weapons and equipment (including foreign ones) in the MTR is much higher than in the SSO, and it continues to arrive.

Armament of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces. By the time of the collapse of the USSR, 427 combat aircraft were deployed in the BSSR (250 modern at that time, including 42 Su-24, 99 Su-25, 25 Su-27, 84 MiG-29) and 220 helicopters, including 78 attack Mi -24V / P, as well as 53 ZRdn (334 PU) air defense systems and air defense systems, incl. 10 (60 launchers) S-200, 8 (96) S-300PT/PS, 19 (114) S-75 and 16 (64) S-125. According to the CFE Treaty for the Republic of Belarus, quotas of 260 combat aircraft and 80 attack helicopters were established.

As a result, many aircraft (obsolete and expired) were withdrawn from service, incl. Su-24M completely, and all Su-27 were withdrawn to the reserve, which greatly weakened the strike and fighter potential of the Air Force. 12 Su-25 attack aircraft and 24 MiG-29 fighters with a shorter range and combat load remained in service. Aviation turned out to be the weakest part of the Belarusian Armed Forces. All S-75, S-125 and S-200 air defense systems were decommissioned in the air defense forces, however, this was partially compensated by the transfer of all S-300V air defense systems and Buk-M1 air defense systems from military air defense to air defense forces of the country, as well as deliveries from Russia used S-300PS air defense systems and a small number of new Tor-M2K air defense systems.

Now the Air Force and Air Defense Forces of Belarus have 36 combat aircraft (12 Su-25 and 24 MiG-29), 32 helicopters (including 7 attack Mi-24P), 27 air defense systems (294 launchers, self-propelled guns, ROM and BM) air defense systems and air defense systems, incl. 13 (120) S-300PT/PS, 3 (54) S-300V, 4 (36) Buk-M1, 6 (72) Osa-AKM, 1 (12) Tor-M2K.

Regular strike aircraft are 12 Su-25 attack aircraft and combat training Su-25UB (plus 20 in storage).

Regular fighters are 12 MiG-29s and 12 modernized MiG-29BMs (with a radar modified for the use of air-to-ground weapons, a satellite navigation station and air refueling facilities), as well as combat training MiG-29UB. After 2020, it is planned to replace the MiG-29 fighters with new multi-purpose aircraft, and 12 Su-30SMs have been ordered in the Russian Federation.

Combat aircraft of the Air Force in the ranks are enough to equip two regiments (assault and fighter). There are 17 Su-27 fighters and 4 combat trainers Su-27UBM1 in storage (it was planned to modernize the Su-27 with a radar, modified for the use of air-to-ground weapons and other improvements). With them, another regiment of fighters can be deployed.

The Air Force has a total of 10 transport aircraft: 2 Il-76MD (planned to be upgraded), An-26RT, 4 An-26/24, 2 An-12, 1 Tu-134.

Training aircraft include 8 Yak-130s (delivered from Russia) and 10 L-39s (purchased from Ukraine). It is planned to receive 4 more Yak-130s.

Attack helicopters include 7 Mi-24P (modernization is planned).

Transport helicopters include 8 Mi-8s (including upgraded MTKOs), 12 Mi-8MTV-5s (recently delivered from Russia) and 5 Mi-26s.

Belarusian UAVs "Berkut-1/2", "Grif-1" and "Grif-100" (models 120K and 150K), reconnaissance and attack helicopter UAV INDELA-I.N.SKY (weight 140 kg, carries 2 thermobaric grenade launchers) are being purchased. It is also planned to purchase Russian UAVs. Belarusian UAVs have been developed: small Moskit-N, Casper (weight 9 kg), Busel M50 (10 kg), Albatross (19 kg), long-range reconnaissance and strike UAVs Burevestnik MB (weight 250 kg, carries 2 strike UAVs of 26 kg each with a flight range of 35 km or 8 57-mm NAR) and BELAR YS-EX (together with the UAE, weight 1400 kg, including load 280 kg, flight duration over 24 hours) .

The air defense forces have S-300PT / PS air defense systems (part of it was supplied by Russia, the S-300PS is being overhauled and finalized), there are also S-300V and Buk-M1 transferred from the SV, plus the new Tor-M2K delivered by the Russian Federation. The upgraded Osa-1T and Buk-MB air defense systems were developed, and a new T-38 Stiletto air defense system was created jointly with Ukraine. After 2020, it is planned to receive new S-400 air defense systems (2 divisions) from the Russian Federation.

The Radio Engineering Troops are receiving new Rosa-RB radars and Vostok-D radar complexes, Groza-R electronic warfare systems (jamming UAVs) and Naves (jamming radio navigation and GPS systems), created by the defense industry complex of Belarus. Almost all radar stations in service with the Belarusian Armed Forces have been overhauled. A new radar "Opponent-GE" was purchased in Russia, by 2020 it is planned to purchase 6 more units.

But most of the weapons of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces of Belarus are outdated. Fighters, attack aircraft, training aircraft (except Yak-130), air defense systems and air defense systems (except Tor-M2K), radar, automation equipment and electronic warfare need to be upgraded or replaced.

The military-industrial complex of Belarus copes with the repair of weapons and military equipment and the supply of spare parts, and maintenance centers carry out routine maintenance. A limited modernization of a number of weapons and military equipment is also possible, incl. SAM "Osa-AKM" and "Buk-M1". However, there are no enterprises in the Republic of Belarus that produce the main weapons and military equipment (aircraft, helicopters and anti-aircraft weapons) in a full cycle. The new air defense system T-38 "Stiletto" was created jointly with Ukraine. UAVs, radars and a number of automation equipment are produced independently.

The Russian defense industry received 8 Yak-130 training aircraft, 12 Mi-8MTV-5 helicopters and 12 Tor-M2K air defense systems.

It is known that Minsk has long sent Moscow orders for the Tor-M2K air defense system and the S-400 air defense system, the Iskander OTRK, Su-30, Su-34 combat aircraft, Yak-130 combat training aircraft, modernized Il-76MD, strike Mi-28N helicopters. All of them were included in the State program of rearmament of the Republic of Belarus for 2006-2015. But the loss of a number of technologies and the shortage of production capacities of the Russian defense industry, along with the high cost of weapons and military equipment, have become a serious obstacle to the implementation of programs for the rearmament of the Belarusian Armed Forces at the expense of the Russian defense industry. To this should be added the economic difficulties that Russia itself has been experiencing lately.

During these one and a half years in the SV, the 19th BKhVT was deployed into a mechanized brigade, the 502nd anti-tank artillery regiment was reduced, and the 51st artillery group as part of the 171st and 178th Abr, as well as the 170th BKhVT was reorganized into 51 -th Abr. The 62nd 740th anti-aircraft missile brigades, the 427th and 1199th rocket artillery regiments were framed.

In the MTR, the 103rd separate mobile brigade was renamed the airborne brigade.

In the Air Force, aircraft and flight personnel of the 181st helicopter base joined the 50th mixed air base. The 15th and 302nd anti-aircraft missile brigades were disbanded in the air defense forces, and the 1st anti-aircraft missile regiment was formed.

The armament of the SV has undergone a slight reduction, incl. SP 2S7, outdated howitzers D-20 and D-1, MLRS 9P138, but new powerful MLRS "Polonaise" appeared. Worn-out weapons were also reduced in the MTR (BMD-1, BTR-D and SAO 2S9), but new Caiman, Lis and Dragon BAs arrived there.

On the other hand, the Air Force experienced a massive reduction in the number of combat aircraft in service (from 69 to 36, including from 37 to 24 MiG-29s and from 22 to 12 Su-25s), as well as Mi-24 attack helicopters (from 21 to 7), 16 reconnaissance Mi-24R/K and multipurpose Mi-8 (from 42 to 8). Only 4 training Yak-130 and 12 Mi-8MTV-5 helicopters, as well as UAVs were delivered, it is planned to purchase 12 Su-30SM and 4 Yak-130.

The situation is better in the air defense forces. The obsolete S-200M and S-125M2 air defense systems, part of the Buk-M1 air defense system, were reduced, but the S-300PS air defense system and BM Tor-M2K were received. The number of divisions decreased from 29 to 27, but the number of PU and ROM increased from 243 to 294 (including the number of S-300PS / PT divisions increased from 9 to 13, and PU - from 64 to 120). The purchase of 2 S-400 divisions and new radars is planned.

All this shows the critical dependence of the Belarusian Armed Forces on the supply of weapons and military equipment from Russia. And if the issue of arming the SV, MTR and air defense forces is partially resolved through modernization and military-technical cooperation with Russia and China, then a serious problem has arisen in terms of aircraft equipment of the Air Force.

Conclusion:

The possibility of using the territory of Belarus as a springboard for an attack by the Russian Armed Forces on Ukraine diverts significant forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to this direction. The danger will seriously increase if the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus take part in a joint aggression against Ukraine with the Russian Armed Forces. In this regard, it is of interest sun Belarus and their combat capabilities.

It is necessary to note the creation in Belarus with Chinese assistance (and with Chinese M200/20 missiles) of the universal MLRS/OTRK "Polonaise" with a firing range of 200/280 km and a CEP of 30 m. That is, Belarus received a high-precision means of Euro-strategic non-nuclear deterrence. At the same time, the M20 missile is being improved with an increase in firing range up to 500 km.

Almost all weapons of the Belarusian Armed Forces are outdated, in need of modernization or replacement. The military-industrial complex of Belarus copes with the repair of weapons and military equipment and the supply of spare parts, and maintenance centers - with routine maintenance. A limited modernization of a number of weapons and military equipment is also possible, incl. T-72B, BMP-2, BRDM-2, Grad MLRS, Strela-10, Osa-AKM and Buk-M1 air defense systems, MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters. However, there are no enterprises in the Republic of Belarus that produce the main weapons and military equipment in a full cycle. Only trucks and tractors, radars, control and communications equipment, and UAVs are produced. The defense industry complex of the Republic of Belarus created with foreign assistance the Skif and Shershen anti-tank systems, the Stilet air defense system, the Polonez MLRS / OTRK, but Belarus does not have the funds to purchase them. The defense industry of Russia is now unable to meet the needs of the Belarusian Armed Forces in new weapons.

Comparison of the organization and armament of the Armed Forces of Belarus at the end of 2015 and in the middle of 2017 shows that over the past year and a half, 1 BKhVT was deployed to the Special Operations Brigade, the anti-tank artillery regiment was reduced, and the artillery group (2 Abr and 1 BKhVT) was reorganized into 1 Abr. 2 ZRbr m 2 ReAp were framed, 2 air bases were merged, and 2 ZRbr were disbanded, but 1 ZRp was formed.

In the same period, the SP 2S7, D-20 and D-1 howitzers, MLRS 9P138 were reduced in the SV, but new Polonaise MLRS appeared. The BMD-1, BTR-D and SAO 2S9 were reduced in the MTR, but new Cayman, Lis and Dragon BAs were received. On the other hand, the Air Force underwent a massive reduction in the number of combat aircraft in service (from 37 to 24 MiG-29 and from 22 to 12 Su-25), as well as Mi-24 attack helicopters (from 21 to 7), 16 reconnaissance Mi-24R / K and multipurpose Mi-8s (from 42 to 8). Only 4 training Yak-130 and 12 Mi-8MTV-5 helicopters, as well as UAVs were delivered, it is planned to purchase 12 Su-30SM and 4 Yak-130. In the air defense forces, the obsolete S-200M and S-125M2 air defense systems, part of the Buk-M1 air defense system, were reduced, but the S-300PS air defense system and BM Tor-M2K were received. The number of divisions decreased from 29 to 27, but the number of launchers and ROMs increased from 243 to 294 (including the number of S-300PS/PT divisions from 9 to 13, and launchers from 64 to 120). The purchase of 2 S-400 divisions and new radars is planned. All this shows the critical dependence of the Belarusian Armed Forces on the supply of weapons and military equipment from Russia. And if the issue of arming the SV, MTR and air defense forces is partially solved by modernization and at the expense of the military-technical cooperation with Russia and China, then there is a problem with the aircraft of the Air Force.

The Republics of Belarus occupy an important place in ensuring the military security of the state. They were created to protect the sovereignty of the country, to protect its independence and, most importantly, its territorial integrity.

How it all began

This is a branch of the armed forces unique for the state, which is directly subordinate to the General Staff. It is the local analogue of the landing troops of Russia and the GRU. Among its main tasks, one can emphasize the conduct of reconnaissance and counter-sabotage activities, countering illegal armed formations, and preventing potential armed conflicts.

military transport

An important place in the Belarusian army is occupied by transport troops. The corresponding order on them was signed by the commander-in-chief, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. This became necessary for the organization of a universal system that could ensure the reliable operation of military transport and work equally effectively for all military formations.

In a presidential decree, the previously existing automobile and railway troops were united into transport troops. To manage them, an appropriate department was created, which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense.

One of the main tasks of the transport troops is technical cover, as well as, if necessary, the prompt restoration and increase in the capacity of roads and railways in the area of ​​combat operations.

Also, the main tasks of the department include direct control of transport troops, maintaining them in constant mobilization and combat readiness, as well as maintaining transport support for all parts of the armed forces and formations.

At the same time, the overall global leadership of these troops is carried out by the Ministry of Defense. But the direct command of the transport department today is in the hands of a major general named Sergei Ignatovich Novikov.

Territorial troops

In recent years, Belarus has been reducing the permanent size of the army. This is one of the measures to stabilize the economic situation in the country. To ensure that the reductions do not affect the defense capability, the main emphasis is placed on the organization of territorial defense.

These troops are a reserve component of the Belarusian army, they are designed to be quickly deployed if necessary, when a real threat appears or a war begins.

The Belarusian territorial troops currently have more than a hundred thousand people (there are half as many soldiers and officers in the regular army). Such troops are recruited from among local residents (fit for military service) according to the territorial principle. The military formations of such troops are rifle companies and battalions.

Tasks of the territorial troops

They include the protection of border areas, participation in maintaining order in the event of a state of emergency. In wartime, they are designed to provide defense, and in peacetime - the protection of military and state facilities of strategic importance.

Formations of territorial troops must resist the enemy's sabotage and airborne forces, as well as all kinds of illegal armed formations. In cities and smaller settlements, their task is to carry out engineering measures to prepare the infrastructure and equip special defensive lines.

At the same time, they are called upon to deal with the elimination of the consequences of the use of weapons of mass destruction in cities and villages, the implementation of rescue operations and the prompt conduct of emergency and recovery work.

Also, the Charter of the Territorial Forces provides for a clause stating that they can be used in the conduct of active armed struggle on the territory temporarily captured by a potential enemy.

Recently, the leadership of Belarus with great pathos began to say that it has one of the most combat-ready armies on the continent, capable of repelling any aggression, no matter where it comes from. Similar statements are heard from its southern neighbor - Ukraine, from which Belarusians are increasingly trying to protect themselves today: they are strengthening their southern borders, creating new border detachments, conducting numerous exercises and trainings, strengthening control over crossing the border, etc. At the same time, in both cases, the words about the high level of combat capability of the armed forces of the two republics are, to put it mildly, exaggerated - the Belarusians, of course, have something to brag about to the Ukrainians and other post-Soviet republics, but they are far from Russia or the developed countries of the West.

The current state of the Belarusian army, according to numerous experts, is far from what could be called serious combat capability. Although Belarus began to reform its armed forces much earlier than other republics of the former Soviet Union. True, in the 1990s this was dictated not so much by the desire of the country's leadership to demonstrate its peacefulness to the whole world, but by simple financial problems that continue to haunt the Belarusian army to this day. During the years of independence, as a result of reforms, the number of armed forces of the republic has decreased by more than four times and today it is about 62,000 people, which is quite a bit even by European standards. In addition, a significant part of the weapons inherited from the USSR was sold out, which at the turn of the century even made the republic one of the world leaders in trade. At the same time, the reorganization of the army structure was also carried out - instead of armies, divisions and corps, brigades were introduced, which are considered to be more suitable for conducting maneuverable combat operations, and the training of their own military personnel was organized on the basis of the Military Academy of Belarus and various civilian universities. All this at one time made it possible to reduce budget spending on defense and, to some extent, preserve its personnel - no matter how bad it was in the country, the military, as a rule, regularly received a salary and enjoyed various benefits. And the national composition of the Belarusian army was kept homogeneous, and neither national nor religious contradictions arose within it. Apparently, this is precisely why many experts believe that the Belarusian military today has one of the highest moral and volitional levels in the post-Soviet space.

However, we have to admit that this is where the positive moments in the Belarusian army, unfortunately, end. Today, the main problem that the military of Belarus has already encountered is the virtual impossibility of carrying out a more or less complete modernization of the troops. Simply put, the country's leadership, due to lack of funds, cannot afford to abandon the already obsolete both morally and physically Soviet-style equipment. At the same time, absolutely everything becomes obsolete - aviation, tanks, artillery installations, air defense systems, etc., and it is unlikely that it will be possible to win on moral and strong-willed qualities alone. All this not only weakens the Belarusian army, but also does not allow, as before, to make money on the sale of weapons. Today, buyers have become extremely picky and do not want to buy equipment 20-30 years ago. This is probably why, according to UN statistics, Belarus has recently begun to sell only a few units of old Soviet weapons, additionally trading in ammunition, the validity of which is running out.

Based on the information available today, we can say that the current military spending of the Belarusian budget is not able to meet the modern needs of the army. Today, the republic spends about $700 million on its armed forces, ranking 79th in the world according to this indicator. For example, Poland, whose army is twice the size of the Belarusian one, spends $ 9.6 billion a year on it. If we remember that the Belarusian budget is formed in the local “currency” and compare the growth rates of military spending with inflation rates, it turns out that investments in the army in Belarus, at best, remained at the same level. At the same time, it is still necessary to look for additional funds for the modernization of the army, since modern weapons are extremely expensive. For example, the cost of an anti-aircraft missile system of the S-300 type can reach several hundred million dollars, depending on the modification, and a modern combat aircraft can cost $30-50 million. situations - when you really want to rearm the army, but there are no opportunities for this.

On the one hand, attempts are being made in Belarus to repair old weapons and bring them into a more modern look. The enterprises of the local military-industrial complex not only repair and modernize tanks, helicopters and aircraft, but also create their own types of weapons: reconnaissance and sabotage tank 2 T "Stalker", air defense system "Stilet" (together with Ukraine), anti-tank systems "Skif "and" Hornet ", Mi-8 SME helicopter. Perhaps the loudest event in this regard was the appearance at the Parade on May 9 this year of the Polonaise multiple launch rocket system, which was tested in the summer in China. By the way, the Belarusian president was then offended by Russia, saying that “our ally, Russia, is not so active in supporting our aspirations”: “We will discuss this separately with the president of Russia. But thanks to the People's Republic of China and its leadership for this support." It is not known for certain how much this MLRS is more effective than Russian and Western counterparts, but it is believed that it allows you to strike simultaneously at eight targets at a distance of more than 200 km, which makes it no worse than other multiple rocket launchers.

All these developments, of course, do honor to the Belarusians, but still they are not able to fully bring the Belarusian army in order. Just as another “hope” of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic cannot do this - the so-called “territorial defense troops” created since the beginning of the 21st century: for the first time, the practical actions of territorial troops were worked out back in 2002 during the operational-tactical exercise “Berezina-2002 ". These are, in fact, civilians trained and trained in partisan actions, on whom, what is most interesting, serious hopes are placed in the republic. For example, on September 1, it was officially announced that "a number of regions of Belarus have expressed their readiness, on an initiative basis, to conduct training camps with the territorial troops liable for military service in the areas of their formation, to train them directly in the areas where tasks are performed." Moreover, in 2015 alone, against the backdrop of the Ukrainian events, the territorial defense authorities have already taken part in more than 40 events, especially distinguishing themselves during the inspection of the system for strengthening the protection of the state border in the southern direction and the territorial defense of the Gomel region. Simply put, the Belarusian authorities decided to plug holes in their country's combat capability at the expense of ordinary citizens in the reserve. And this once again testifies to serious problems in the defense policy of the state.

On the other hand, Minsk still considers it possible to modernize and strengthen its army at the expense of Russia and the budget of the Union State. At the same time, in the second case, the situation does not get better every year - due to the worsening economic situation in the Russian economy, all SG programs are gradually shrinking, including in the military sphere. For example, the financing of allied military-technical programs has already been reduced by almost a third: if in January 2014 3.5 billion Russian rubles were allocated for these purposes, then in 2015 - only 2.5 billion. Although it cannot be denied that within the framework of the Union The states have long had an agreement on the joint protection of the external border in the airspace and the creation of a unified regional air defense system, due to which the air defense of Belarus is considered one of the most combat-ready in the entire post-Soviet space.

Of course, military-technical cooperation between the two countries is primarily of interest to Belarus, which, as mentioned above, plans to re-equip its army at Russia's expense. Therefore, it is no coincidence that Minsk has already announced the delivery of four S-300 divisions by the end of 2015. Moreover, by 2020, the Belarusians plan to purchase several additional Tor-M2 missile systems, which are already in service with the 120th anti-aircraft missile brigade, through joint funding with Russia. In addition, the country's radio engineering troops should also receive new equipment: the Rosa radar station and the Vostok radar complex. That is, the Belarusian side in any case does not remain at a loss. However, it should be noted that bilateral ties in the field of military-technical cooperation are also of interest to Moscow. For example, the Kremlin still considers it appropriate to deploy its military facilities on Belarusian territory, which, due to the existing integration of the two countries, will not have the status of foreign military bases. Thus, the creation of a military air base in Bobruisk has long been announced. And although the implementation of this project is rather slow, the organization of its own Russian air defense grouping on the western borders would cost Moscow much more - about $ 5 billion, and this is more than what is currently being demanded from Russia in Minsk. And the use of Belarusian airfields as forward-based facilities by Russian long-range aircraft today looks the most optimal. Therefore, Moscow has already stepped up its actions on this matter: on September 2, the Russian government decided to consider at a meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in Grodno (to be held on September 8) a proposal to sign an agreement on a Russian air base on the territory of Belarus, which should be sent to V. Putin .

Among other things, the aspect of technical cooperation between the two countries is also important, in which both Belarus and Russia receive mutual benefits: the Belarusian military-industrial complex enterprises, for the most part, are directly dependent on Russian orders, and Russia, in the context of sanctions and the loss of Ukrainian manufacturers, needs to close the resulting gaps in the supply of defense products. And in this case, we are talking not only about the chassis for missile systems, which are produced by the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant. Belarusians provide the Russian defense industry with spare parts for the T-90S, T-72S and T-80U tanks, airborne and infantry combat vehicles, artillery systems, anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems, as well as melee weapons and small arms. In addition to this, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation D. Rogozin said in the spring of this year that the Belarusian Peleng should replace the Ukrainian sights for the Russian Khrizantema self-propelled anti-tank systems.

The list of military-technical cooperation between the two countries can be continued for quite a long time. However, even without this, it is clear that Belarus and Russia are interested in maintaining allied relations in this direction. Moscow needs to ensure its military presence on the eastern borders of the EU and along the way "not go blind" in the process of tracking military facilities on the continent: only in Belarus of all the post-Soviet republics, except Russia, the radar station for warning of a missile attack, which is located near Baranovichi, remains and operates and tracks the sky over almost all of Western Europe. For Minsk, however, cooperation with Russian partners brings double benefits. Firstly, it is an opportunity "for free" to modernize your army. Secondly, the preservation in their hands of at least some leverage of pressure on Moscow. The Belarusian authorities have repeatedly said that it is only thanks to them that a peaceful sky is preserved over the head of the Russians, and therefore the Kremlin should spare no expense and continue to sponsor its allies. True, every year such arguments become less and less effective, but Minsk continues to believe in its indispensability for Russia. But the value of such an ally for Moscow every year seems less and less obvious. Moreover, the Belarusians will not be able to support Russia in the event of a serious danger with anything but words: according to the information available today, in the event of military aggression, the Belarusian troops, according to the plan, will have to move closer to the Russian borders and wait for help from their ally. This is the reality in the field of defense of the Republic of Belarus, which is far from what local propaganda is trying to show everyone.