Lukashenka's “independence” under Russian flag (Video)

A parade with the participation of Russian troops and military equipment was held in Minsk.

The parade was on the so called independence day, the date of which was chosen by Lukashenka. The real independence day is marked on July 27, when the Supreme Council adopted the Declaration of the State Sovereignty of Belarus, but the dictator moved the celebration to July 3, the day of liberation of Minsk from the Nazi invaders.

Military parades and shows are usually organised on this days.

This year's parade started with the air show.

Forty aircraft,including 22 planes, were involved. L-39 combat training aircraft, Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters, Su-25 attack aircraft, MiG-29 fighters and and Il-76 transport plane were flying over Minsk.

The peculiarity of the parade was the participation of a unit of Alligators, Ka-52 helicopters of the 344th air force personnel training centre and Su-34 jet fighters of the 47th combined aviation regiment of the Russian Air Force.

The parade featured over 3,700 personnel, including cadets of the Minsk Suvorov Military School. The participants of the parade carried the Victory Banner and the banners of the 1st Belarusian Front, the 2nd Belarusian Front, the 3rd Belarusian Front and the 1st Baltic Front that took part in Operation Bagration.

A column of “guerrillas” with the small arms of the Great Patriotic War the marched along Masherau Avenue.

The parade also involved cadets of the Military Academy of Belarus, the military-technical faculty of Belarusian National Technical University, servicemen of the 120th guards separate mechanized brigade, 38th guards separate mobile brigade, 5th separate special mission brigade, the 86th and the 85th signal brigades, the 56th, the 60th and the 74th separate signal regiments.

Servicemen of the 234th Guards Black Sea Order of Kutuzov III Class air assault regiment of Alexander Nevsky of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division of the Russian Air Forces took part in the parade.

The column of equipment of the Great Patriotic War was followed by the modern equipment of the Belarusian army: T-72B tanks, MP-2 infantry combat vehicles, BTR-80 armoured personnel, carriers, a 2S19 Msta-S self-propelled howitzer, heavy multiple rocket launchers BelGrad and Smerch, missile systems S-300PS, S-300B2 and Tor-M22, tactical ballistic missiles Tochka, Bogatyr vehicles, 2S1 and 2S5 self-propelled howitzers, anti-tank launching vehicles Konkurs, Osa missile systems and Tunguska air defence systems.

Minsk residents also saw the military equipment of the Russian Armed Forces: self-propelled tactical missile systems Iskander and air defense missile systems S-400 Triumph as well as armoured vehicles Tigr.

The mechanised column included about 240 species of equipment and vehicles.

The military parade ended with a show of the guards of honor and a concert of the orchestra of the Belarusian Armed Forces.

Dictator Lukashenka wore military uniform, while his son Kolya was in civilian clothes with a red and green ribbon.

In his speech, Lukashenka mentioned the escalation of the international situation, when “military potential is once again accumulated near our borders”.

“Today we can see decreased effectiveness of the international security system that evolved after the war. New threats emerge. Post-war borders are revised and readjusted. Trends that lead to global instability have taken shape. We see arrogant interference with internal affairs of sovereign nations, attempts to fuel ethnic strife and destabilize the situation not only in the Middle East but unfortunately in brotherly Ukraine already,” Lukashenka noted.

Lukashenka said “the development and strengthening of the armed forces and the state's military system” was the priority.

According to the dictator, the events in Ukraine confirm that “the entire Europe, the entire world are in transition between historical epochs and every state has to be ready to face any challenges of the time”.

“Our priority is developing relations with our strategic partner, the Russian Federation. It is symbolic that today military personnel of the two brotherly nations stand shoulder to shoulder on parade grounds,” Lukashenka said.