Russia has already started preparing the replacement of Volga military base, which is situated near Gantsevichi. This opinion was expressed by political scientist, Andrei Fedorov, commenting on Alexander Lukashenko's statement on Russian bases' stay on the territory of Belarus for free. "Maybe, they will be able to exclude this base from their list soon, and replace it with their new bases", the analyst believes.
«Once, even in Yeltsin’s times, in 1996, there was signed an agreement under which about-one-billion-dollars gas debt was canceled for Belarus», Belarusian service of Radio Liberty quotes Andrei Fyodorov. «And for that, these two bases are on such rights that Russia pays nothing for them. But Moscow may remind about those agreements».
To recall, on April 25, Alexander Lukashenko stated: «The chief of Russian Armed Forces seems to have forgotten that in Belarus there are two active bases: in the area of Baranovichi and Vilejka. And I also can remind that as opposed to Sevastopol, Russia pays us zero rubles and zero copeck for the lease of these bases».
Alexander Lukashenko stressed that in the area of Baranovichi a Russian military base — which function is an early warning of missile attack — operates. «This is an important new base, which we finished to build with Boris Yeltsin (Russia’s first president — Telegraf) at certain time. The second base provides connection with the submarine fleet of the Russian Federation in the Atlantic», the President said.
