“I have already said in a popular way: the army needs to be shaken up, the time has come. We will check the entire army. We will check everyone. Up to mobilization,” said Lukashenko at a military training ground in the Brest region. He reminded that currently, at his instruction, an artillery brigade is being checked, and prior to that, tank and motorized rifle units underwent inspections. “We are doing everything as it would be in war. We are preparing for war so that there won’t be one,” emphasized the President of Belarus. At the same time, he assured that he does not intend to attack neighboring states, despite their “aggressive rhetoric,” brazen reconnaissance, provocations, and violations of airspace. “We are pragmatists. We understand that if we attack someone, say, one of our neighbors, it would be tantamount to death. We cannot win a conflict with the 'monsters' located around us. So why start a war?” said Lukashenko. At the same time, according to him, Belarus must always be ready for a timely and adequate response in case the situation escalates. Earlier, Lukashenko repeatedly stated about Minsk's preparations for war “just in case.” For instance, in April, summarizing the results of a comprehensive check of the armed forces, he stated that “there can be no such thing as peaceful time,” and in June — that Belarus “is always preparing for war so that there won’t be one.” At the end of August, Lukashenko ordered a sudden check of the combat readiness of the country’s armed forces. Prior to this, the commander of the special operations forces of the Armed Forces of Belarus, Alexander Illyukevich, stated that Minsk began forming a new airborne assault brigade near the border with Ukraine. The unit was planned to be stationed in the Gomel region. At the same time, informed sources from The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Vladimir Putin began demanding Lukashenko to open a new front in Ukraine. Additionally, according to the publication, Moscow was counting on using Belarus for operations against neighboring NATO member countries, including for launching drones, writes The Moscow Times. As previously reported by [bb.lv](https://bb.lv/statja/politika/2026/08/28/rossiia-poka-ne-ugrozaet-latvii-napriamuiu-no-trevoznye-priznaki-uze-est-biuro-po-zashhite-satversme).
