MINSK. Feb 20 (Interfax) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has tasked every village council in Belarus with creating militia.
"Every village council of ours should have militia, a group of people, just in case. There won't be many of them. Maybe, 50 people. However, they should have their weapons stored somewhere at a warehouse. We will call them for a training, they will pick up their rifles (mostly, a rifle, a grenade launcher or a handgun) to protect their homes," the Belarusian state-run news agency BelTA quoted Lukashenko as saying at a Belarusian Security Council meeting on Monday.
He said that the militia could serve as territorial defense reserves and become guerrillas in the event of war.
"So, let people learn how to handle a gun, there is nothing bad about it. Every family will be able to protect its home, town or village. This is based on the experience of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and that on the ground," Lukashenko said.