Lukashenko allows animal rights activists, prosecutors and customs officers to destroy drones
On October 7, the President of Belarus, Oleksandr Lukashenko, signed a decree that expands the range of bodies authorized to shoot down unmanned aerial vehicles. According to the press service of the president, this decision amends the previous decree “On the cessation of flights of model aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles”, issued on June 5, 2019.
The new document significantly expands the authority to use “physical force, special means, weapons and combat equipment” not only in relation to model aircraft and UAVs, but also to other unmanned vehicles, including underwater and surface vessels, ground vehicles and complexes controlled remotely or in automatic mode .
In addition to the military and law enforcement agencies, Lukashenko added the Prosecutor’s Office, the Investigative Committee, the State Control Committee (in particular financial investigation bodies), the Animal and Plant Protection Inspectorate, rescue services, and the customs service to the list of recipients of new powers.
On October 4, Lukashenko stated that drones regularly fly into the airspace of Belarus both from the territory of Ukraine and from Russia. According to him, the Belarusian services shoot down many of them without distinguishing where exactly they come from.
