The Сommander of the Brest Air Assault Brigade Addressed The Belarusian Military

Videofact.

Valer Sakhaschyk, reserve lieutenant colonel, the Commander of the Brest Air Assault Brigade addressed the Belarusian military and urged them not to carry out criminal orders to attack Ukraine:

“I wish you health, the defenders of the Fatherland. My appeal to you. My name is Valer Stiapanavich Sakhaschyk, I am Guards reserve lieutenant colonel. I introduce myself because I retired a long time ago. Some of the current paratroopers may not know me, although I think everyone has heard about the tests called the “black eagle”. The current valour and skill went just from there. Well, and also about the fact that once the 38th Brest Air Assault Brigade every morning ran a dozen and in full force swam in the lake all year round. Well, I'm just the brigade commander who ran ahead of the brigade for four years and was the first to jump into the hole. I am a "black eagle" number one. All the most important things in life happen on impulse, as a rule, and unexpectedly. It's impossible to prepare to be a hero. Simply in the life of each person suddenly appears a situation, in which you must completely act here and now. And either go down in history, or wait for a more opportune moment. It is true, fate usually provides a chance to commit a real act only once.

I served in Air Assault troops for a long time. I served in the Brest brigade for more than 10 years - from deputy battalion commander to brigade commander. Those who dealt with me will not let me to lie, I was one of the most fanatically devoted officers in the troops, a patriot of my Motherland. Nothing existed for me, besides service, commerciality I lack. This is to ensure that no one tries to build theories that someone hired me for this performance. There were no cases in my biography that made it possible to suspect that I was for sale. And at my age, people don't change anymore.

The Air Assault troops were everything in my life. I had been continuing to help my native brigade all the years after my retirement. A flagpole with the flag of the Air Assault Forces stood in front of my house for 18 years. I took it off and it is a separate story related to the events of 2020. But that is not the point for now. Now I decided to record the first video message in my life. Because my compatriots, guys in blue vests, the same as I wore all my life, are sitting in the forest on the border with Ukraine. And it is very likely that in the near future they are going to take part in a very bad deed, which could have disastrous consequences for our country and finally bury the glory and traditions of the troops that many generations of paratroopers have earned. And perhaps not everyone will return to their homeland alive.

The Russian army, which has vast combat experience, has been in hell for three days. The quantity of those killed is calculated already by thousand, prisoners — hundred, military hospitals and civil hospitals in the near-boundary are overfilled by injured. None of the objectives of the operation were achieved. At the moment, it was not possible to take either Kyiv or any of the regional centres. The Russian army is already exhausted. But Ukrainians, after maintaining the most difficult first 72 hours, successfully conducted mobilisation, they were organised, fixed logistics, they obtained the support of the entire world, both moral and a flow of military technical equipment. And most importantly, they saw that ordinary mortal people attacked them, they stopped being afraid, they felt the taste of victory. This army will not retreat and will not surrender.

The Russians simply became victims of their own propagandists, who promised that the people of Ukraine would meet them with bread and salt as liberators. But you already know everything. Although you are forbidden to have smartphones, you are still at home, in contact with family and friends, and have had time to evaluate and comprehend everything.

Does anyone have doubts that your entry into Ukraine will be better than the New Year's assault on Grozny in 1995? The information war is a terrible thing. The propagandists have learned how to deftly make a substitution of concepts, pass off white as black and vice versa. I don't want to get into politics, politics has always been alien to me. But any thinking person should understand at least three things.

The first: Ukraine has never threatened Belarus and is not threatening now.

The second: there are no drug addicts or nationalists in the Ukrainian government. And if they were, they would be elected in free, democratic elections.

The third: the Belarusian armed forces have no legal grounds to invade the territory of Ukraine. Moreover, it is expressly prohibited by the current Constitution.

This is not our war. You will not defend your homeland, your home and your family. You will not get glory in this conflict, but only shame, humiliation, blood, death and the position of a pariah nation for the entire Belarusian people for decades. Brothers, find a way not to participate in this dirty business. How will you live with the fact that you sent the boys to their deaths for nothing, fathers-commanders? How will you look into the eyes of mothers who have given you their sons?

Separately, I appeal to people, who can decide a lot, to military leaders with big stars. I was the commander, teacher, friend for many of you. You remain in my memory as decent, responsible, initiative military leaders, able to quickly navigate in a difficult environment, competently and deeply analyse the situation, and calculate the consequences of certain decisions. Fellows, finally these are your straight functional responsibility, precisely, you were raised by the native land for this purpose. No matter how pressured you are, do a real manly act. Make the right decision, gain civic courage, do not send the boys to the slaughter. Sometimes the greatest feat is simply to say no and go down in history as a person who saved the lives of hundreds, and maybe thousands of people and relations with a brotherly nation. And even if you are fired now, believe me - you will be heroes.

The honour is mine.”