Lukashenko: Belarus Will Buy Weapons from Moscow Worth over a Billion Dollars

This refers, in particular, to the S-400 anti-aircraft complexes Alexander Lukashenko on Sunday watched the course of the joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises and said that Belarus would purchase weapons from Moscow worth over a billion dollars. The live firing on Sunday is the culmination of the Zapad-2021 maneuvers. Recall, the Russian-Belarusian exercises cause concern in neighboring countries, in particular, in Ukraine and Poland. Ties with Moscow last year helped Lukashenko withstand the largest mass protests in his 27-year rule. In addition, Moscow supports Lukashenko in the face of ongoing sanctions from Western countries accusing him of falsifying the August 2020 election results in Belarus and reprisals against the opposition. The Belarusian news agency BelTa quotes Lukashenko as saying that the current maneuvers are taking place against the backdrop of a hybrid aggression of the West against Belarus and Russia. According to Lukashenko, Belarus plans to purchase from Russia a consignment of weapons amounting to more than a billion dollars, including S-400 missile systems. Neighboring countries - Ukraine, as well as NATO members Poland and Lithuania - speak of the provocative nature of the current Russian-Belarusian military exercises, in which approximately 200,000 troops are taking part.