Previous comments suggested it was in need of urgent upgrade and revenue (280 words)

Published: 12/1/2000

In a story from the Belarusian news agency Belapan, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenka is reported to have told a conference of officers in the country's security service that the country's armed forces were in an "ideal state". The President speaking in Minsk on the 28th of November, was talking about the results of an inspection of the armed forces carried out in the second half of October. "We have done colossal work on the armed forces and there is a colossal result of the check," said Lukashenka. "We have hurried the armed forces along and brought them up to an ideal state. Today all armoured hardware is combat ready; aircraft which are currently under repair will be returned to their units in battle readiness in the first quarter [of 2001]." At present, Lukashenka said, "huge funds have been assigned to provide, first and foremost, air defence and the air force. These statements appear to contrast markedly with the view expressed by the commander of the air force, Mikhail Stremous, in August 2000. When he commented that the air force's fleet had achieved half of its service life and the air force's need to generate revenue from other sources, had led it to consider contracts for cargo and fire fighting outside of Belarus. Stremous also talked at the same time about possible upgrades of the air force's 65 MiG-29s following work undertaken by the Belarusian's for other operators including the Moldovans in conjunction with MiG. The MiG-29 is however, an area of some sensitivity between Russia and Belarus, after the accusation that Belarus had bought aircraft at preferential rates and then sold them onto the Algerians for a profit.

Article ID: 2225