[263][264][265], Lukashenko describes himself as an "Orthodox atheist"[266] Lukashenko responded by taking control of the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus, sacking the entire bank leadership and blaming the West for the free fall of the currency. It is to note that all Security Council members are Lukashenko's most loyal allies. 14.99 USD. When questioned about the whereabouts of Alexander Lukashenko on this day, his publicity team released an undated photograph of him walking around the grounds of the Independence Palace holding a gun. Belarus was slow to adopt new uniforms, but has largely followed the Russian model with regards to outfitting the majority of its armed forces with a general purpose camouflage uniform. Older Soviet patterns were worn for several years, being gradually replaced by locally-produced versions of the 1990 3-TsV (VSR) and Flora camouflage, designed in Russia. Equipment included 3,108 main battle tanks (seventy-nine T-54, 639 T-55, 291 T-62, 299 T-64, eight T-80, and 1,800 T-72), 419 medium-range launchers, sixty surface to-surface missiles, and 350 surface-to-air missiles. Additionally, the Belorussian SSR hosted the 103rd Guards Airborne Division, the 38th Guards Airborne Brigade, the 11th Air Defence Corps of the 2nd Air Defence Army, and the 26th Air Army, as well as units and formations of the Strategic Rocket Forces, Long Range Aviation, the Navy, and special forces. The Armed Forces of Belarus ( ) was formed in 1992 from remnants of the old Soviet Armed Forces that were based in Belarus. In clips they say they are ashamed to be linked to the security forces cracking down hard on protesters. Aug 11 (Reuters) - Belarus said on Thursday that blasts heard overnight at one of its military bases 30 km (19 miles) from Ukraine were caused by a "technical incident." [156] The term is also used more broadly to refer to an authoritarian ideology based on a cult of his personality and nostalgia for Soviet times among certain groups in Belarus. "People are working in tractors. A boozy celebration after 18 months of service. It fully complies with the legislation and is aimed at strengthening the sovereignty, independence and security of our citizens. [61] Its collection numbers over 18 thousand exhibits. The military forces of Belarus are almost exclusively armed with Soviet-era equipment inherited from the Soviet Union. The 7th Tank Army comprised the 3rd Guards Tank Division, 34th, and 37th Guards Tank Divisions, plus army troops. [180], In 1999 opposition leaders Yury Zacharanka and Viktar Hanchar together with his business associate Anatol Krasouski disappeared.