Belarus used by Russia for arms trafficking to Europe

Belarus is likely to supply Europe with combat weapon and terrorists.

Poland’s Foreign Ministry said it had summoned a Belarusian diplomat over an “intrusion” at the country’s border by uniformed individuals armed with long guns. 

Stanislaw Zaryn, a spokesman for Poland’s security services, said Polish soldiers spotted three uniformed men with longguns on Polish soil.

As they met Polish soldiers, they reloaded their guns and headed towards Belarus, he claims. The group might havewithdrown as they did not want to engage in direct actions with Polish soldiers, and disclose the group members, tasks and weapons.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman said the incident took place overnight into November 2nd.

There is no doubt therefore that small arms and militants from Africa and the Middle East, under the guise of migrants, are coming from Belarus to Europe.

Belarus, like Russia, has got a sophisticated counterintelligence regime. As Belarus does not share borders with the countries of Middle East or Africa, the people from there can find their way to Belarus merely by air. As the migration crisis broke out in Belarus, migrants have been brought to this country by Belavia flights, and in transit through Moscow. Illegal immigrants came mostly from Iraq, Syria, Iran and Afghanistan, that is, the countries where Moscow has got deep intelligence base and strong links with local militant groups.

Both corridors exclude the option of arriving in the country with guns. Thus, people who came to Belarus could get long guns nowhere else, but in Belarus. But Belarus, like Russia, restricts purchase of hunting weapon, with most types of military small arms prohibited for sale to citizens and available only to law enforcement agencies. It means that migrants who came to Belarus to be further transported to Europe could not bring the weapon with them, and much more – buy it in Belarus. The only way for them to get it was by Belarusian security forces or from Russia by agents at Belarusian border service or KGB.

Lithuania’s Defense Ministry earlier said Belarusian border guards instructed migrants how to cross the border with Lithuania and how to behave if detained.

The fact that armed migrants were discovered at the border when going from Belarus to Poland is likely to indicate that armed groups have already crossed the border towards Lithuania before. Moreover, the weapon they had and the fact they went back to Belarus, as Polish border guards saw them, mean they do not seek asylum in Europe, and enter the European Union not as refugees.

It is highly probable that we are talking about the transfer of combat groups to Europe to set up sleeper terrorist or combat cells.

In January 2010, the US Congress openly expressed its concern over the arms supplies from Belarus, as they admitted the Belarusian arms supplies record act for consideration. The lawmakers intended to investigate the military contacts byMinsk with “countries sponsoring terrorism or refusing to cooperate with the US in counterterrorist operations”. 

The members of Congress suspected that arms supplies were coordinated and tasked by the Kremlin. Belarus re-exported the weapon to those countries where Russia, for various reasons, did not want to supply it.

Small amounts of arms supplied to Western Europe every so often are part of hybrid military campaign. In 2014, e.g., as Latgale (Latvia) was being roiled, small arms for pro-Russian combat groups were rapidly brought there.

Belarusian regime cannot carry out such missions at Belarus-Poland border alone, as they are orchestrated by Russia under the Cold War schemes, when Moscow infiltrated combat groups and arms into the Western Europe to destabilize the situation if necessary. During the Cold War, those groups used nuclear knapsack (portable) ammunition to strike at strategic facilities in Western Europe. But now the groups are seen as the main combat link by the forces involving Russian intelligence groups and local combat units, backed and monitored by the Russians in the country.It cannot be ruled out the groups that infiltrated Western Europe in the last 4 months have smuggled explosives, arms, and ammunition there, as they might be used to commit terrorist attacks and sabotage with a view to modify the political pattern and promote Russia-backed political forces.