Working trip to Minsk Oblast

During a working visit to Minsk Oblast on 18 August, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko inspected the progress of the country’s domestic combat small arms manufacturing project.

“It is people, the soldiers, who determine the fate of a battle. And this is exactly what soldiers need. Having served as a soldier myself, I know firsthand the importance of small arms. We can do nothing without these weapons, regardless of whether we have drones, ballistic missiles, and the like,” the head of state said. Consequently, it was decided to establish domestic production in the country.

“We did it ourselves. Well done for achieving this. There can be no war, no national defense without it,” the Belarusian leader stressed. “In order to fight, you must have small arms. Therefore, this is vital. It is the foundation of any army.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko brought up the core task: “The instruction was to develop a combat weapon with 100% localization. So, there are zero imported parts?”

“Absolutely none,” Chairman of the State Authority for Military Industry Dmitry Pantus assured.

The President particularly emphasized that the domestic small arms are already in service. Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin confirmed the quality and high demand for these weapons.

“Indeed, it requires continuous refinement and polishing. However, the fact that it is entering service with the Belarusian Armed Forces proves its value. I always tell the minister when we develop the first prototypes: ‘Examine, criticize, and push it to its limits... We must refine it here, so we adopt a flawless product,’” the head of state stressed.

The President visited the Kidma Tech manufacturing facility, where he inspected a proprietary, fully localized serial production line for small arms and the first domestic model, the VSK-100B assault rifle.

Aleksandr Lukashenko examined the combat weapons and the technical production processes, offering high praise: “Great job! You did fantastic!”

However, the President urged the weapons manufacturers not to rest on their laurels: “We need to push ahead and stop fearing that something is beyond our reach. We can do anything. Yes, we need equipment, but we must know how to operate it. You have mastered this. No one should spare money for such projects. It is a monumental task, especially if it pays off through exports.”

The head of state received the very first Belarusian VSK-100B assault rifle as a gift. The inscription on the gift’s plaque reads: “Not for war... For confidence in peace!”

The President instructed to display a deactivated copy of the assault rifle at the Palace of Independence exhibition. “It was tough and challenging. Other nations, like the Russians, have spent centuries developing small arms. Under a democratic dictatorship, however, we succeeded in creating this in a very short span of time,” the Belarusian leader stressed.

Roman Golovchenko, Chairman of the National Bank’s Board and former chief of the State Authority for Military Industry, underscored that Belarus’ small arms manufacturing was built completely from the ground up, independent of any Soviet heritage or traditions. “There is no Soviet legacy here. This industry was built entirely in independent Belarus,” he stated.

Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled the early days of his presidency when he made a personal decision to halt the squandering of the nation’s military capabilities. At that time, tanks and other military hardware were being chopped up for scrap and exported. “I didn't become a dictator [as Western politicians see it] because I actually am one, but because I stopped that destruction,” the head of state said.

The President’s working visit to Minsk Oblast extended beyond defense industry matters. Seizing the opportunity, the head of state asked Governor Aleksei Kushnarenko on the status of the ongoing harvesting and winter crops planting campaigns, providing essential instructions.