Lukashenko Orders “People’s Militia” Units in Every Belarusian Village Council

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has ordered the creation of “people’s militia” units in every village council across the country, expanding a defense structure introduced after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, The Moscow Times reported on October 16.

Lukashenko announced the move while observing training by one such unit in Belarus’s Verkhnedvinsk district, according to the report.

Moscow has sought to draw Belarus more directly into Russia’s war against Ukraine. It was previously reported by The Wall Street Journal that the Kremlin threatened to reduce financial support for Minsk if Lukashenko resisted deeper involvement.

“We need to expand. We need to create more such basic units somewhere. They must be connected to each other,” Lukashenko stated.

The Moscow Times reported that Lukashenko described the militia as the first level of Belarus’s defense system. Territorial defense forces responsible for protecting infrastructure would form the next layer, followed by the regular army.

“When creating this structure, I meant that every village council should have a people’s militia unit. This is the core,” Lukashenko said. “In the event of hostilities, this core can expand.”

He added that weapons had already been prepared for the units.

“You will have an assault rifle, grenades, a machine gun,” Lukashenko stated.

Lukashenko had previously instructed the Belarusian Society of Hunters and Fishermen to recruit people with experience handling weapons into the militia, The Moscow Times noted.

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Belarus began creating the “people’s militia” after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin previously linked the decision to the “military-political situation” and presented the force as a deterrent against a potential attack.

Since the beginning of 2026, Belarusian authorities have intensified military and security exercises, The Moscow Times reported. The drills have included mobilization scenarios, responses to missile strikes involving mass casualties, and wartime civil-defense measures.

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Exercises involving both territorial defense forces and the “people’s militia” were also held in the Vitebsk region over the summer.

The militia expansion comes amid broader signs of Belarusian military preparations near NATO borders. A recent report found that Belarus is modernizing railways, communications networks, and defense production with Russian support, with some facilities expected to reach full capacity by spring or mid-2027.

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