MINSK, September 23. /TASS/. An operational readiness inspection is underway in the Air Force and air defense forces of Belarus upon instructions from President Alexander Lukashenko, Belarusian Security Council State Secretary Alexander Volfovich said.

"Inspections of the armed forces and other military establishment structures continue. We recently completed an inspection of the Ministry of Internal Affairs," the BelTA news agency quoted him as saying. Volfovich noted that last week, one of the tank battalions of a mechanized brigade underwent a surprise inspection. "By the way, they performed quite well. A more detailed analysis is still underway. Its results will be reported to the president. Today, it’s the turn of the Air Force and the air defense forces," he said.

According to the Security Council secretary, one of the most important branches of the armed forces is undergoing inspection. He noted that even in peacetime, the Air Force and air defense forces are on combat duty and protect not only Belarus’s air borders but also the outer perimeter of the [Russia-Belarus] Union State. "That is why they must always be ready to carry out tasks that arise unexpectedly and to defend critical facilities," Volfovich noted.