На русском языке:
Дольше и чаще. Что изменилось в порядке призыва резервистов на военные сборы?
On August 15, the national legal Internet portal published the resolution of the Council of Ministers of August 10, 2023 №525, which amends the Regulation on the procedure for military and special training sessions. Let’s see what the document changes.
1. The duration of inspection training sessions was increased from 35 to 60 days
Inspection training sessions are held in order to determine the level of combat and mobilization readiness of troops and military commissariats. In order to conduct the inspection training sessions, the full or partial transfer of certain military units to wartime staff (their formation) is carried out with the drafting of persons liable for military service assigned to these military units. After the transfer to wartime staff (formation), staffing and combat coordination, the military units are subject to inspection as to their ability to perform their intended tasks.
Training session in the 11th Brigade
In general, we may assume that the duration of the inspection training sessions was increased based on the experience of the peacetime-to-wartime transfer of the 11th Mechanized Brigade in April-May 2023. It is possible that 35 days was not enough time to fully conduct the combat coordination of the unit.
The 11th Mechanized Brigade was the first unit of the Belarusian Armed Forces to be expanded to 6000 people as part of the combat readiness inspection (April-May 2023). On April 14, 2023, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said that combat readiness inspections (with expansion to wartime staff) would be carried out with all formations of the Belarusian Armed Forces at a «certain moment.»
2. The number of training sessions to which reservists can be drafted has been increased
For example, reservists who don’t have officer ranks can now be drafted for military training sessions during their time in the reserve:
- of the first category – up to 5 times (previously – up to 3 times with a duration of up to 2 months each time);
- of the second category – up to 3 times (previously – up to 2 times with a duration of up to 2 months each time);
- of the third category – once (previously – once with a duration of up to 35 days).
Conscription of persons liable for military service to training sessions
The number of training sessions to which reserve officers can be drafted has also been increased. Now they can be drafted for training sessions during the time they are in the reserve:
- of the first category – up to ten times (previously – once every two years with a duration of up to two months each time);
- of the second and third categories – up to five times (previously – up to one or two times with a duration of 35 days each time).
It is notable that with the new changes, only the number of training sessions remains in the document, and their duration is not specified.
We note that reserve categories are established by age according to the Law «On military duty and military service». The law establishes the following age limit for the status of persons liable for military service in the reserve by reserve categories:
Female conscripts, regardless of their military ranks, are enlisted in the reserve of the third category. The following age limit for the status of women in the reserve is established:
- those with the military ranks of warrant officers, michman or officers – 50 years old;
- for other persons liable for military service – 45 years old.
According to Article 70 of the Law «On military duty and military service,» the total period of military or special training sessions during the period of a person liable for military service in the reserve may not exceed 12 months. The frequency of drafting of persons liable for military service to military training sessions is established by the Government of Belarus. In other words, despite the fact that the number of training sessions has changed and increased (for reservists without officer ranks and reserve officers), their total duration (up to 12 months) has not changed.
Training session in the Internal Troops
For example, according to the amendments, a reservist without an officer rank can be drafted for training sessions up to 9 times for 1.3 months each (12 / 9 = 1.3). Prior to the amendments, a reservist without an officer rank could be drafted for training sessions up to 5 times during his/her stay in the reserve for up to 11 months.
Thus, the amendments will make it possible to draft for training sessions more often. However, the changes will have almost no effect on the total time that a reservist will spend at the training session. It is important to note that according to the norms of the Regulations on the procedure for military and special training sessions, conscripts can be drafted to inspection training sessions held by Lukashenko’s order beyond the established periodicity of their draft.
3. Health condition of reservists who are drafted for training sessions
If previously «persons liable for military service who are fit for military service according to their state of health» were drafted to military training sessions, in the new edition this norm was supplemented with the following words: «fit for military service with minor restrictions, as well as those with limited fitness for military service in wartime (with their written consent)».
Training session in the Internal Troops
We may assume that these changes were introduced to legitimize the possibility of drafting for military training sessions to veteran units of the Internal Troops (for example, the special unit Honor, which consists of veterans of special units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus). We may assume that not every «veteran» can perform service for health reasons and, accordingly, be drafted for military training sessions.
This is why the possibility was envisaged to draft reservists for training sessions with their written consent who are restricted in their fitness for military service. It is possible that the amendments are also aimed at allowing volunteers from the national home guard to be drafted for training sessions.
4. The list of law enforcement agencies to which military and training sessions may be drafted, as well as the drafting procedure, has been expanded
Officially, now they can draft for military training sessions (in addition to the state security bodies – KGB) to the body of state protection (Presidential Security Service) and the operational and analytical center. And for training sessions – to military units of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Border Guard Service.
At least for some agencies, these changes are formal, and are related to bringing the Regulation on the Procedure for military and special training in accordance with the practice of its application. For example, in 2014, the State Border Committee of Belarus established, and since then has been operating a system of mobilization training, and military training sessions are held annually for persons liable for military service who are in the reserve of the Border Guard Service.
Training session in the 11th Brigade
The order of drafting to military training sessions in the above-mentioned structures was also adjusted. If previously it was carried out according to personal lists sent to the military commissariats of the regions (and Minsk) one month before the beginning of the training session, then according to the changes – to military commissariats and regional departments of the KGB.
The adjustment of this norm is most likely related to the desire to exclude reservists who could potentially be disloyal to the current government from participating in training sessions. For this reason, the list of those drafted to training sessions should be sent to the KGB for verification and approval.
5. A number of clarifications of the document are related to the organization of the KGB military training sessions
For example, according to the amendments, the regional departments of the KGB will provide transportation of persons liable for military service — from the place where conscripts are drafted to training sessions to the place where they are accepted for training sessions (at the expense of the KGB).
Despite the fact that a number of media outlets stated that the KGB was assigned the authority to conduct military training sessions, this is not true. According to Article 70 of the Law «On military duty and military service,» conscription of persons liable for military service who are in the reserve of the state security bodies is organized and conducted by the head of the Department of the State Security Committee of the region.
Also, even before the amendments to the Regulation on the procedure for military and special training sessions were introduced, it was stipulated that the draft for military or special training sessions is organized and conducted (including) by the head of the Department of the State Security Committee for the region (officers in the reserve of the state security bodies).
Men are going to a training session
It is possible that these amendments are related to bringing the Regulations on the Procedure for passing military and special training sessions in accordance with the norms of the Law «On military duty and military service.»
Thus, the nature of the changes fully corresponds to the main trends of military training sessions observed in Belarus after the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine:
- Increasing the frequency and intensity of training sessions;
- Drafting citizens who may be unfit for service due to health reasons (but are willing to volunteer to participate in the training session);
- Increased control by the KGB over reservists who are drafted to training sessions.
At least some of the amendments are related to the legalization of established practices in the conduct of training sessions (for example, the possibility of voluntary conscription of reservists with health limitations). In general, there is no reason to assume that the number of military training sessions with reservists will decrease in the coming years.
Earlier, the Ministry of Defense of Belarus reported about plans to draft 9000 people to various types of training sessions in 2023. According to our data, a total of at least 8655 people have already been drafted from January to the end of July 2023. We note that this is the lowest number of reservists, as there is no information about some of the training sessions being held. Therefore, in reality (taking into account the training sessions planned and held in August), the number of persons liable for military service who have underwent military training sessions this year will be more than 9000 people.
The draft of reservists by month is shown in the chart below.
