Belarus to form 100,000-150,000 strong volunteer military force

FILE PHOTO: Belarusian paratroopers perform during celebrations marking the 90th anniversary of the airborne troops in Minsk, Belarus August 1, 2020. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko

(Reuters) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Monday he had ordered the formation of a new volunteer territorial defence so everyone knows how to "handle weapons" and be ready to respond to an act of aggression and keep public order in peacetime.

"The situation is not easy. I have said more than once: every man - and not only a man - should be able to at least handle weapons," Lukashenko said at the meeting of his Security Council.