Special Operations Forces (Belarus)

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The Special Operations Forces of Belarus (SSO) is a service branch of the Armed Forces of Belarus. Like many post-Soviet states, Belarus inherited its special forces units from the remnants of the Soviet armed forces, GRU and KGB units. The units of the Belarusian SSO, which include two airborne brigades and one Spetsnaz brigade, are the only fully manned ground combat units in the Armed Forces of Belarus. Belarus's units conduct joint exercises with the Armed Forces of Russia in which the nation's special forces participate extensively. Belarus's ruling party has been accused of using its special forces to assassinate opposition leaders. Functionally, the Belarusian SSO are not equivalent to special forces in the conventional sense but rather an inferior counterpart of the Russian Airborne Forces, which they are highly integrated with through relationships established during joint training exercises. During the 2020 protests, the 5th Spetsnaz Brigade participated in the suppression of the protests, killing one man in Brest. The 38th Guards Air Assault Brigade, while not engaging with protestors, due to its role as a Military Unit, not a Special Forces Unit, moved towards the borders of Belarus, via the order of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.