Today Alyaksandr Lukashenka summed up the results of the comprehensive inspection of the Armed Forces that began on 16 January this year. Belarusian servicemen should prepare for the worst.
“This inspection was conducted, as I have already said, on a large scale and more harshly than ever before”, Lukashenka said today while reviewing its results with the officer corps. Judging by everything, a comprehensive inspection of the armed forces was carried out. Its масштабы are also evidenced by the fact that, in addition to State Secretary of the Security Council Alyaksandr Valfovich, it also involved Chairman of the State Control Committee Vasil Herasimau. Moreover, as Lukashenka said today, “all special units of the State Security Committee, the OAC, the prosecutor’s office, the Investigative Committee — everyone was mobilised. Especially the KGB counterintelligence bodies that provide counterintelligence support.”
The tasks assigned to each of the inspectors, as the politician explained, were special. Thus, the State Control Committee checked “what is happening with military property and assets” and monitored the spending of budget funds. The special services, meanwhile, were supposed to keep an eye on the military. “In order to know where you are lying and where you are not”, Lukashenka said.
This is apparently one of the reasons why the inspection was conducted bypassing the Defence Ministry. At the time, we regarded this as a sign of Lukashenka’s crisis of trust in the military establishment. Judging by what is happening, we were not far from the truth.
This shows that the Belarusian army is being taken seriously. At the same time, it seems the results of the inspection did not impress the politician. This conclusion can be drawn both from his speech about lying and from the fact that the results of the snap combat readiness inspection, according to Lukashenka, were covered by state media “in the way that perhaps most of you would have liked. Because all the filth that exists in our army — and there is plenty of it — well, we would not want to show it, first and foremost, to our potential adversaries and perhaps enemies.” Consequently, a considerable amount of “filth” was also uncovered. Belarusian servicemen even dared to “grumble” and “mutter” about the Wagner instructors training them. The politician also threatened the military over the poor condition of equipment and weapons.
However, summing up the results of the snap combat readiness inspection does not appear to mean that Belarusian servicemen can finally breathe out. Herasimau said that the State Control Committee intends to continue inspections of Armed Forces units and subdivisions.
And the scale that has unfolded is fraught with consequences. The high-profile “doctors’ cases” of the past, with a high degree of probability, turned out to be the result of a large-scale inspection carried out by the State Control Committee in the Health Ministry. After the supervisory body combed through the Agriculture Ministry down to the last piece of paper several years ago, the ministry quickly moved on to smaller-scale inspections of subordinate organisations. Heads rolled in both cases.
Large-scale inspections are therefore a direct path to “purges”. And in the current climate, when repression in the country has been unleashed in full force, such inspections may prove even more dangerous. Almost all of the so-called “split-hoofed” have already been jailed, while the repressive machine neither knows how nor wants to stop. Sooner or later, it will inevitably drag into its millstones even those who are inside the system. And even those who consider themselves untouchable.
The red rocket for the military has gone up into the sky. Today Lukashenka directly warned them about “the essence of his dictatorship”. He said that no one, “starting from the minister and ending with those present here”, would remain in office if they did not prove their worth. He referred to the experience of North Korea, praising his friend Kim for new weapons. Although during his recent visit to that country, he surely had the opportunity to familiarise himself with other “achievements” of the North Korean regime that can now be effectively applied at home.
So what we are seeing in all its glory is the era of “late Lukashism”. Its distinguishing feature will be even larger-scale repression and purges. Incidentally, Joseph Stalin, when he grew old, became even more fond of them than before. As for the military, they should prepare themselves. For what exactly — that is for them to decide.
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