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Political Observer On Replacement Of State Border Committee Head: This Is Green Light For Security Officials With Russian Trace

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Political Observer On Replacement Of State Border Committee Head: This Is Green Light For Security Officials With Russian Trace

Lukashenka's bench of trusted personnel is very short.

Lukashenka dismissed Anatol Lappo, head of the State Border Committee, and replaced him with Kanstantsin Molastau, head of the Hrodna border group.

Is this a regular rotation or were there real reasons for such a replacement? The website Charter97.org addressed the political scientist Anatol Kotau with this question.

— This is not a normal rotation. There are reasons, partly natural. Lappo has reached the service age limit. Last week, he celebrated his 60th birthday, which is the deadline for a regular service. In fact, he was allowed to celebrate his anniversary and a couple of days later he was transferred to the reserve.

There were unverified rumors that Lappo himself asked for retirement, as he had certain health problems. Actually, Lukashenka himself mentioned this when appointing a new head of the State Border Committee. From the point of view of Lappo's dismissal, everything looks absolutely natural.

Another thing is the appointment of a new chairman of the State Border Committee. It was the head of the Hrodna border group, and there are two things that attract attention.

— Which? Tell us more about it.

— First, it is his education. Molastau was born in the Saratov region, but this does not play such a big role. Its main border formation is the Border Academy of the Russian Federal Security Service. Once upon a time, there was such a practice that all security officials were sent to study in Russia, but after another oil and gas crisis, everyone who received education in Russian universities began to be held back a little in terms of career growth.

Some time ago, the appointment of an officer whose one of his main universities is the Russian academy, which is related to the FSB system, would have been impossible. Now it seems that the vector has changed, they get all those who just have an education that is connected with Russia.

The second point that attracts attention is that he is appointed to the post of head of the State Border Committee from the post of head of the regional outpost. Albeit important, but on which he hung for many years, that is, this just confirms what I said earlier. He has reached the ceiling, and here he is appointed without any preliminary work in the central office. After all, he was not the deputy chief border guard, but in fact he immediately made such a very serious jump, bypassing the steps, to the highest position in the central apparatus. Again, two consequences follow from this.

Firstly, the taboo has been lifted and, on the contrary, the “green light” has been lit for security officials who either received education in Russia or upgraded it there. They are moving forward. Secondly, the bench of trusted personnel is very short. In a different situation, probably, Molastau would have had the opportunity to work in the central office of the State Border Committee before being appointed to the highest position. There is a promotion of people with a Russian trace, and most importantly, the bench is very short.

— It is noteworthy that in Moscow Lukashenka said that “Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus” would be “in complete safety”, “no saboteurs will break through to it, including from Poland.” Could the replacement be related to the transfer of nuclear weapons?

— These events really coincided. As for the security of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus, this is a very debatable issue. The Russian side openly says that it is the Russian contingent that will provide real protection and physical security. They do not trust the Belarusian “ally”. The border guards are just one of the links in the chain of ensuring the protection of nuclear weapons, far from being the most important.

— On the border with Ukraine, the so-called “Khrenin Line” is being built from the “dragon's teeth”. In the Belgorod region, such protection was easily forced by Russian volunteers. Will Lukashenka be protected by the Khrenin Line if Belarusian volunteers go to Belarus?

— “The Khrenin Line” is a modern and parodic reincarnation of the “Stalin Line”, which did not protect anyone, but sucked up a bunch of resources. When you need to demonstrate at least some result, then the imitation of violent activity begins.

Now the risks that the regime itself provoked are, of course, higher than before, but the “Khrenin’s teeth” answer can be effective only in the case that continues now, when no one is going to attack Belarus. The easiest way to defeat a virtual opponent.

You can build at least eight such lines of defense, it will not matter in the event of real hostilities. But in the parallel reality in which the Belarusian military lives, this is a demonstration of at least some action and the continuation of the development of the budget, dividing resources.

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