Internal terror is the rear-area purge to ensure external aggression against Ukraine
- Pavel Latushka
- Jun 24
- 2 min read
"From the large-scale militarization of Belarus follows a geopolitical axiom: without a free and independent Belarus, there can be no secure Europe", — Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet, member of the Belarusian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Pavel Latushka, during a briefing for members of the "Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe" (ALDE) group as part of PACE's summer session.
During his speech, Pavel Latushka particularly drew attention to the fact that since the beginning of 2026, continuous military activity has been recorded along three key lines: the army, internal troops, and territorial defense.
Along the line of the Armed Forces: in January, on Lukashenko's personal order, a large-scale surprise combat readiness inspection was launched, which was conducted covertly. In March, comprehensive tactical exercises of the Western Operational Command's troops took place near the EU borders. In May, joint exercises with Russia on the use of tactical nuclear weapons were held on the country's territory.
Pavel Latushka noted that a number of key signs have been identified indicating that Lukashenko's regime is actively preparing for direct entry into military conflict.
In parallel, along the line of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Internal Troops, harsh preparations are underway for suppressing any resistance under wartime conditions.
Along the line of Territorial Defense, since May 12, mobilization musters have been deployed, forming local units from reservists.
"In addition, it is important to note that since March 2025 not a single sanctions package has been adopted against Lukashenko's regime in connection with human rights violations in Belarus. At the same time, the scale of repression in Belarus is unprecedented. More than 60 thousand people have gone through detentions. About 10 thousand people have faced politically motivated criminal prosecution, and almost 8.5 thousand have been convicted.
The recent designation of the European Humanitarian University in Lithuania as an "extremist organization" has triggered a wave of persecution of students and their relatives. At the moment, at least 60 searches are reported across the whole of Belarus.
This harsh internal terror directly enables external aggression. The total suppression of society, the liquidation of independent media, and the destruction of the NGO sector have allowed Lukashenko to isolate internal resistance and hand over Belarusian territory, infrastructure, and airspace to the Russian army. Internal terror is the rear-area purge to ensure external aggression against Ukraine", — noted Pavel Latushka.
During the briefing, Pavel Latushka called on members of the ALDE group to lobby the governments of their countries so that they support the International Criminal Court's investigation into the "Belarusian situation." As well as to support the institutions of democratic forces, independent media and bloggers, and civil society organizations.
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