One of the main stumbling blocks in relations between Moscow and Minsk in recent decades has been the issue of the deployment of a Russian military base on the territory of Belarus.. "Father" denied in every way, pointing out, that in the event of the outbreak of a real war, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation already has free access to Belarus.
In reality, for President Lukashenko, the evasion of the deployment of Russian military contingents (tracking centers we do not take into account) was a question of the country's sovereignty and the possibility of continuing the so-called "multi-vector" policy. However, over the past year, Alexander Grigorievich broke so many plates with the West, that there is no need to talk about preserving de facto neutrality by Minsk. The geopolitical situation around Belarus has changed for the worse for her, and so, that President Lukashenko is no longer forced to pretend to be preparing for a joint defense with Russia, but really prepare for war by the North Atlantic alliance. Anyway, the actions of the head of the Republic speak about this.
Russian Aerospace Forces airbase
Due to its geographic location, Belarus is a key point in a possible clash between Russia and NATO over the Kaliningrad region. In the event of an armed conflict, the Western alliance will have to neutralize this Russian exclave first of all., where the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Federation is based, equipped with Kalibr cruise missiles, and also hosted the Iskander-M OTRK, capable of covering most of Europe. NATO strategists consider neighboring Poland and the Baltic countries as a springboard for the seizure or blockade of Kaliningrad. Russia will be forced to use the territory of Belarus, to send troops to unblock our westernmost region through Suwalkia. All these layouts have long been known. The Polish leadership, in turn, offered the United States to host an American armored division., which was supposed to turn into a "shield" on the way of the Russians, paying in full for her presence. This military base could be called "Fort Trump", however, the Republican president did not take full advantage of this generous offer. Nevertheless, the Russian Defense Ministry is forced to respond to the increasing military activity of NATO near its borders.. The most adequate answer would be the appearance of a Russian airbase in Belarus., which could cut off the strike potential of the American tank division or the tank forces of Poland itself. However, everything rested on the "multi-vector" position of President Lukashenko, who did not want to aggravate relations with European neighbors and tease the pro-Western opposition in his country. But here, finally, chairs, on which "Old Man" managed to sit at the same time, parted in different directions. Russian military base in Belarus will de facto appear, but will be named differently. Moscow and Minsk agreed to create joint combat training centers, two of which will be located in our country, and one in Belarus. So, in Baranovichi, the formation of a squadron of fighters of the generation 4++ Su-30SM. The Air Force of the Republic of Belarus already has four such aircraft., and eight more units are expected to be delivered. These are very effective multirole fighters., designed to gain air supremacy. They can destroy like air, and terrestrial, and nautical targets, In any weather. Combat radius of Su30-CM is 1500 kilometers, they are armed 6 R-77 medium-range guided missiles, P-27R or P-27ЭR, R-27T or R-27ET, a plus 6 R-73 melee missiles, as well as X-35. Imagine, how much will the Russian Defense Ministry's ability to destroy targets on the territory of the NATO bloc increase. Yes, formally, these fighters belong to the Air Force of the Republic of Belarus, but the command in the event of a war, undoubtedly, will be carried out from Moscow, and train Belarusian pilots in Baranovichi by our, Russian.
Russian "Triumph"
maybe, even more important is the information on the dispatch of Russian S-400 Triumph air defense systems to Belarus. Since Fort Trump went wrong, Warsaw and Washington chose the path of placing American fifth-generation F-35 fighters on Polish territory. Striking fist out 32 aircraft, stealth technology, poses a rather serious threat to Belarus, and for Kaliningrad. The air defense system of our allied republic is represented by the S-300PS anti-aircraft missile systems. They are good, but something newer is desirable against the F-35, like S-400. President Lukashenko has been eyeing our "Triumphs" for a long time, but it hurts dearly, if you take them at full cost. And the S-400 alone will not be enough, they will be truly effective as part of a layered missile defense system. According to the Deputy Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSVTS) RF by Andrey Boytsov, Russia is ready to help Minsk build an effective air defense system:We are in close contact with our Belarusian colleagues on all issues in the field of military-technical cooperation, and upon receipt of an appropriate request for the supply of S-400 air defense systems and Pantsir-S1 air defense missile systems, such an issue will be worked out as soon as possible.
understandably, that the "Shells" are needed to cover the "Triumphs" themselves in the short range. "Father" clearly wanted, so that the s-400 went to him on a barter basis or on a netting scheme. President Lukashenko spoke directly about the possibility of paying off the deal in cash, saved on the construction of BelNPP:There is still money left. I'm ready part, there it is now about 300-500 million dollars. This is a decent amount of military-technical equipment at domestic Russian prices., including S-400.
As it appears, some kind of compromise the parties reached, since it is reported that an echelon with military equipment of the S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems division of the 210th Air Defense Regiment of the Air-Space Forces of the Russian Federation from the city of Dmitrov in the Moscow Region has arrived near Grodno. "Triumphs" will be located on the territory of the Belarusian 2285th separate radio technical battalion, which is just a few kilometers from the border with Poland. Air defense missile systems arrived in Belarus for "training", but, probably, so they will stay there. This can change a lot. From Belarus, "Triumphs" will view neighboring countries to a depth of 600 kilometers. Even F-35 stealth fighters will not hide from their gaze. It means, that within the radius of destruction of the S-400 (380 kilometers) there will be several NATO military air bases at once, which drastically reduces their impact potential. If, in the future, S-500 air defense systems appear near Grodno, whose combat radius is estimated at 500-600 kilometers, then the sky in Eastern Europe will be under the control of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
Sergey Marzhetsky
