FACT CHECK: Belarus did not send 5 million soldiers to Ukraine

Claim: Belarus sent five million soldiers to Ukraine for the Russia-Ukraine War. 

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The video containing the claim has 35,806 views as of writing. 

The fact: The Belarus military force has about 1,560,000 troops only (its professional army, state border troops, and potential volunteer soldiers combined), who will only fight once their country is attacked. 

Possible volunteer soldiers: Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin on February 20 said they will have 100,000 to 150,000 volunteers for paramilitary formation, in response to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s order to form a new volunteer territorial defense. 

This order is a precautionary measure, teaching Belarusians how to “handle weapons,” readying them to respond to an act of aggression and keep public order in peacetime. 

But State Secretary of the Security Council Alexander Volfovich said on February 25 that Belarus’ potential soldiers number only 1.5 million who can be tapped “in the event of a declaration of martial law and the switch of the economy to a war mode.” Armed troops are not included in the count.

Armed force: Reuters reports said that according to the 2022 International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Military Balance, the Belarusian army has 48,000 troops and some 12,000 state border troops. 

On standby: Lukashenko has consistently said that his army would fight only if his country is attacked. – Ailla Dela Cruz/Rappler.com

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. You may also report dubious claims to #FactsFirstPH tipline by messaging Rappler on Facebook or Newsbreak via Twitter direct message. You may also report through our Viber fact check chatbot. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.