MINSK, June 13. /TASS/. Ukraine’s counteroffensive has proven that the Belarusian authorities made the right decision by modernizing their weapons, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday.

"Missiles are a good thing, [but] high-precision weapons, planes, helicopters, Leopards (German-made tanks - TASS), Bradleys (US-made fighting vehicles - TASS) are destroyed in the same way as our Soviet tanks and armored infantry carriers. We have seen this recently as a result of the first stage of [Ukraine’s] ‘counterattack.’ It turned out that our new, modernized, not Soviet-made, Grads, Shkvals, Smerchs (multiple launch rocket systems) and others are very necessary and solve big problems on the front," he was quoted as saying by the SB. Belarus Segodnya media outlet.

According to the Belarusian leader, Minsk made the right move by focusing on the modernization of artillery systems, firearms, grenade launchers and munitions rather than on manufacturing expensive weapons. "Without this, there can be no victory on the front. Weapons are good but munitions for them are needed," he stressed.

"Dozens of plants [in Belarus are manufacturing weapons and munitions]. We have adjusted our old depots used to store munitions," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on June 9 that Ukraine had begun its counteroffensive, having deployed its strategic resources. On June 10, the Russian defense ministry said that during the day the Ukrainian side lost nine tanks, including four Leopards, and 11 armored combat vehicles, including Bradley vehicles.