The president also said an “apocalypse” could occur if Russia used nuclear weapons in retaliation for Western actions.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said the risk of military incidents along his country’s border with Ukraine was quite high, according to Russian state news agency RIA.
Belarus has moved several combat-ready battalions from the Vitebsk region, which borders Russia, to the country’s western border, he said on Thursday, as delegates to the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly (VNS) unanimously adopted a new military doctrine. He stressed that Belarus is a peace-loving country.
Lukashenko added that neighboring Poland – in the west of the country – should not expect aggressive actions from Belarus, the report said.
The updated document listed the countries posing threats, the extent of internal and external threats to military security and the position on the use of tactical nuclear weapons, the report said, without elaborating on the countries mentioned.
Lukashenko, a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has often cited the dangers of a NATO or Ukrainian attack to justify the constant alert of his military and security apparatus.
The military doctrine declared Belarus’ readiness to act as a platform for the peaceful resolution of conflicts and its openness to cooperation in the military sphere with all states, including NATO, RIA reported.
Russian state news agency TASS quoted Lukashenko as saying an “apocalypse” could occur if Russia used nuclear weapons in retaliation for Western actions.
Russia has stationed tactical nuclear weapons, missiles and troops in the country.
According to RIA, Lukashenko claimed at the UNS meeting on Thursday that the opposition planned to seize a district in the west of the country and request support from NATO troops.
“I don’t know why they chose the Kobrin district, they talk about it a lot. [They plan to] Grab it… and appeal to NATO to deploy troops,” Lukashenko claimed.
It was not clear whether he provided evidence of such a plan. All of the country’s main opposition figures are in prison or have been forced into exile.