Belarus enhances air defense forces on duty - Defense Ministry

MINSK. March 4 (Interfax) - Belarus has enhanced the amount of air defense forces on duty, Deputy Commander of the Belarusian Air Force and Air Defense for Ideology Col. Anatoly Bulavko said.

"On orders from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, we have enhanced the amount of air defense forces on duty. This allows us to raise the efficiency of the entire air defense network," the Belarusian Defense Ministry quoted Bulavko as saying.

Hundreds of servicemen are monitoring the airspace situation on the external perimeter of the border, he said.

"I should say, because of this, that the negative impact on these servicemen and their families has recently grown a lot. The pressure is coming from the Internet and mobile communication devices registered in Ukraine, Poland, the United States, Canada and other countries," Bulavko said.

Any attempts to demoralize Air Force and Air Defense personnel are futile, Bulavko said. "We are not doing anything that should make us blush before our people. We are on our land. We are protecting our own skies," he said.