Belarus Plans to Establish More Than 1,000 People’s Militia Units

Belarus plans to establish more than 1,000 people’s militia units. This was reported on the STV television programme *24 Hours News*.

“Practical training for volunteers is ongoing. During exercises, people’s militia fighters practise combating saboteurs, guarding residential neighbourhoods, learning to handle weapons and operating the same drones,” the report said.

“Volunteers may be enrolled in people’s militia units from among citizens of the Republic of Belarus, foreign citizens and stateless persons who permanently reside in the Republic of Belarus and are capable, in terms of their personal qualities and state of health, of carrying out the tasks of the people’s militia. The territorial internal affairs bodies exercise direct command over the units as they carry out their tasks,” said Ruslan Mamedau, head of the mobilisation training, territorial defence and civil defence department at Belarus’s Interior Ministry.

Last week, Aliaksandr Lukashenka said that people’s militia units should be established in every village council. Under his plan, they would become the foundation of the local defence system and could be expanded in the event of military action.

According to him, village councils should serve as the basis for the militia.

“At the very bottom is the people’s militia. Above it is territorial defence, which protects infrastructure facilities. Then come the people’s militia, territorial defence and, at the top, the army. Naturally, the entire structure is under the command of the president,” he explained, describing the country’s military organisation.