BYPOL announced the destruction of the flagship of the Russian Air Force near Minsk
According to the association of former Belarusian security officials BYPOL, the Russian military aircraft A-50, which exploded at the Belarusian Machulishchi airfield, was not chosen by chance for the attack. The A-50 air warning and control aircraft is important for the Russian army because it was used to guide Russian missiles to targets in Ukraine, Oleksandr Azarov, head of BYPOL, told DW on Monday, February 27.
“It’s like a flagship of the air fleet. Carriers of ‘Daggers’ take off behind it and follow its instructions. There aren’t many of these planes,” he explained. According to Azarov, such actions have been prepared for a long time. “Outside, it is very difficult to communicate with the guerrillas in the interior, carry out reconnaissance, supply, provide ways of circumventing”, he added.
On the air of the Belsat TV channel, Azarov pointed out that the Russian plane was attacked from the air with the help of drones, this sabotage was carried out by Belarusians, participants in the Peramoga plan. “The participants in the operation are now safe outside the country. All have left, let them look for the wind in the field,” he said, adding that the operation had been prepared for several months.
Lukashenka held a meeting with security forces and called for tough measures at the border.
The ruler of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, held a meeting with the security forces, which was attended by the State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus, ministers of internal affairs and defense, heads of the KGB and the State Committee on Borders. According to state news agency BelTA, he said it was necessary to monitor “any minor aggression” against Belarus at the borders and take necessary measures. According to him, the enemies of Minsk “take advantage of any opportunity to stir up the situation in Belarus.” “And they will do it. I ask and demand that you do these installations. Everything else is up to me,” he added.
As noted by the Telegram channel “Belarusian Gayun”, Lukashenka’s press service published a short video of the meeting in a narrow circle. It begins with his words: “In the light of internal and, above all, external events, I would like to hear from your lips a description of the internal political and military component surrounding our Belarus.” At the same time, Lukashenka, who appeared agitated, does not specify what he means by these events and demands the “cruelest” discipline from the security forces, especially at the border, the activists added.
Intensified border checks, first arrests in Belarus
A day after the explosions at the Belarusian military airfield Machulishchi, 12 km from Minsk, the Belarusian authorities significantly increased checks on leaving the country. This was reported by the Belarusian service of Radio Liberty on Monday, February 27, citing eyewitnesses. at least a year.” The Committee on Borders of the Republic of Belarus does not comment on the changes.
Meanwhile, Belarusian human rights activists are aware of the first arrests related to the incident at the airport. In particular, on the night of February 26, Kristina Maksimenko was detained, the reasons and place of her whereabouts are still unknown, writes the Viasna newspaper. Meanwhile, BYPOL reports that Belarusian security forces are looking for those who comment “negatively” on social media about the explosions in Machulishchi.
The Belarusian opposition announced the most successful sabotage since the beginning of 2022
Franak Vyacherka, adviser to Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tikhanovskaya, called the Machulishchi attack “the most successful sabotage” since early 2022. “Glory to Belarusian partisans,” he wrote on Twitter. According to Franak Vyachorka, the operation was carried out by two Belarusians, they left the country and are safe, and the cost of the destroyed plane is 330 million euros.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin refuses to comment on reports of explosions in Machulishchi. “No, we have nothing to say here. In the information that was published, it was about Belarus, Belarus denied it, there is nothing to add,” said Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, responding to a question from journalists.
Explosions at an airfield near Minsk
Explosions at the Machulishchi military airfield thundered on the morning of 26 February. According to the BYPOL opposition movement, a sabotage was committed at the airfield near Minsk, as a result of at least two explosions, a Russian military aircraft of early warning and control (AWACS) A-50 was damaged. Its front and center parts were damaged, as well as avionics and a radar antenna. Local residents saw a large number of military and traffic police personnel near the airfield.
According to the Belarus Gayun group, an AWACS A-50U aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces with registration number RF-50608, which arrived in Belarus on January 3, 2023, was damaged. For 54 days, this board made 12 sorties. Its previous arrival on Belarusian territory was recorded on February 24, 2022. In total, the Russian Aerospace Forces have only 9 such aircraft, of which 6 are advanced, activists write.
Source: DW
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