Lukashenko authorizes shooting down Shahed drones entering Belarus
Photo: President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko (Getty Images)
On October 7, the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, signed a decree On the Suspension of Flights of Model Aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. This decree allows for the shooting down of Russian Shahed drones that enter the country’s territory, according to Lukashenko’s decree.
The document is intended to legally formalize the right to use physical force, special means, weapons, military and special equipment not only against model aircraft and UAVs but also against unmanned transport vehicles, including underwater and surface vessels, ground vehicles, and complexes operated remotely or autonomously.
According to the decree, the right to use weapons and special means against drones is granted not only to servicemen and law enforcement agencies but also to other militarized organizations.
Specifically, drones may be shot down by the Prosecutor's Office, the Investigative Committee, the State Committee for Forensic Examinations, the Financial Investigations Department of the State Control Committee, the State Inspectorate for the Protection of Wildlife under Lukashenko, emergency services, customs authorities, and others.
Background
Russian Shahed drones have repeatedly entered Belarusian airspace.
For example, on the night of October 3, according to the monitoring channel Belarusian Hajun, Russian strike drones may have entered Belarus when a helicopter carrying President Alexander Lukashenko was in the air.
On Friday, October 4, it was reported that a Shahed drone exploded in the Belarusian village of Kalinkavichy, leaving the settlement without power.
At the same time, Belarus decided to conceal the fact that Russian Shaheds had flown into its territory.
