February** Dynamic Incentive Program
Text: Fat guy eggplant.
Although Belarus is not directly involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, NATO still regards it as part of the "Russian alliance" and has been harassing and monitoring it for a long time - to which Belarusian officials have responded very harshly.
According to the overseas network on February 22, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khlenin made it clear in an interview with Russian mediaBelarus will respond harshly to any "violation of the airspace of the Belarusian border."
Viktor Khrenin was interviewed).
Khlenin harshly criticized the recent long-term surveillance and harassment of Belarus by Western countries led by the United States, and pointed out that since August last year alone, these countries have sent military aircraft to violate Belarusian airspace as many as six times. He warned that Belarus will respond strongly to all such air violations in the future, and if necessary, will send warplanes and air defense units to intercept them - if they still refuse to leave, the Belarusian defense forces will "shoot them down unceremoniously".
In addition to this, he warned that the Ukrainian army is still amassing heavy troops on its northern border with Belarus, and more than 110,000 troops have been observed. But he said the Belarusian military did not see the need for additional troops to guard its southern border.
NATO reconnaissance planes often harass the Belarusian border).
This is not the first time that the Belarusian military has criticized and warned against NATO's harassment and violation of its borders. Not so long ago, Leonid Davidovich, deputy commander of the Belarusian Air Force and chief of staff of the aviation forces, publicly stated: "Since the beginning of this year, the number of NATO harassments on the Belarusian border has increased significantly, doubling from December 2023." He also said that the Belarusian military is studying targeted reconnaissance aircraft interception tactics, adding that "the more they fly, the more we learn."
The Russian media has also previously clearly warned that NATO is conducting close reconnaissance and surveillance activities on Belarus and other friendly countries such as Russia under the guise of a series of large-scale military exercises such as "Steadfast Defender 2024", among which at least one US Air Force RC-135W strategic reconnaissance aircraft has carried out reconnaissance missions around Belarus and Kaliningrad and other regions.
US Air Force RC-135W reconnaissance aircraft on reconnaissance missions in Eastern Europe).
Although at present, the tough statements of the Belarusian military still leave a lot of room for maneuver, which does not mean that they will really "shoot down all NATO military aircraft that enter the Belarusian border". But this still means that the security contradictions between Belarus and NATO are escalating, and Belarus may be more deeply involved in the military confrontation between NATO and Russia.
Khlenin had previously unequivocally warned: "The possibility of a direct conflict between Belarus and NATO in the future has become very obvious". He also said that in the event of a conflict, Belarus would consider a "nuclear response", which is also the core of Belarus's strategic deterrence against NATO.
Russian Airborne Forces deployed in Belarus)
Recently, Belarus has more actively developed security cooperation relations with "countries unfriendly to NATO," including Iran, and in particular, it has signed an agreement with Russia and agreed that Russia will deploy advanced equipment including "Iskander" tactical ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads to its territory, which has made NATO even more nervous, believing that Belarus may become a "bridgehead" for the future confrontation between Russia and NATO.
"Iskander" missiles deployed in Belarus)
However, it should be noted that the Belarusian authorities have never announced that they will directly intervene in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and at the same time, they have not made offensive threats against NATO in substance. In fact, whether it is Lukashenko's recent urging of relevant security personnel to "carry ** to ensure safety", or Belarus's repeated statements before, it is not difficult to see that the core goal and demand of Belarus is still its domestic social stability and security.
Under such circumstances, Belarus is obviously unlikely to take the initiative to engage in conflict and friction with NATO, and if NATO really wants to reduce security pressure, it may also be able to "spare and spare others" and stop "pressing on Belarus step by step".