Lukashenko Threatens with an Asymmetric Response to the Deployment of U.S. Tanks in Lithuania

American soldiers are rotationally deployed in Lithuania to participate in large-scale maneuvers in spring next year. Minsk promised to beef up its military presence on the border with Lithuania. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has warned Lithuania that his country was able to give an asymmetric response to deployment of a tank battalion of the U.S. Army in Pabrada near the border with Belarus. “Lithuanians must understand that accurate response is one thing. But we have enough forces and means to respond asymmetrically, as it is customary for politicians to speak today,” Lukashenko said on Monday, October 28, in Minsk. The American tank battalion is rotationally deployed in Pabradė to participate in large-scale NATO Defender Europe 2020 maneuvers, which will take place from April to May mainly in Germany and Poland. Almost 40,000 troops from the United States and other countries will be involved in the exercises. According to the Ministry of Defense of Lithuania, the U.S. tank battalion, which is located in Pabradė consists of about 500 troops, 30 M1 Abrams, 25 of the M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle Bradle and 70 wheeled transport. Causing unacceptable damage Lukashenko noted that in connection with the deployment of the U.S. military near the Belarusian border, Minsk does not intend to ask for help from other countries. At the same time, the President of Belarus warned that his country  “will focus on causing unacceptable damage to the enemy if one is going to fight with it, but at the same time Belarus do not plan new large-scale purchases of weapons”. “Everyone should understand that if one is going to fight with us, then we will be guided by the fact that we can inflict unacceptable damage on these opponents. I don’t want to concretize, so that different bloggers do not talk unkindly behind my back. As military men, we can understand what unacceptable damage is. We also have weapons for this. This one must understood,” Lukashenko emphasized. Military build-up near the Lithuanian border Belarusian Defence Minister Andrei Ravkov said that Belarus will reinforce military near the Lithuanian border. “As part of the military component, while working with the head of state, we made a number of decisions that will allow us to increase our efforts to adequately respond to the actions of the group in the neighboring territory. These are measures for arms control, sending inspection teams to the neighboring territory, strengthening intelligence tasks,” BelTA agency quoted Ravkov as saying. The Belarusian Minister of Defense also said that measures will be taken to strengthen the Belarusian state border as well as “a number of information and diplomatic measures”. “As part of the response, individual tactical actions will be taken by missile and artillery units, air force, motorised infantry, paratroopers, and joint operations with border guards,” Ravkov said. DW