SOBR (Belarus)

The Special Rapid Response Unit (Belarusian: Спецыяльны атрад хуткага рэагавання, romanized: Spiecyjalny atrad chutkaha reahavannia; Russian: Специальный отряд быстрого реагирования, romanized: Spetsialnyy otryad bystrogo reagirovaniya), abbreviated SOBR[a] or SAChR,[b] is a special police unit within the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The unit also allegedly played a role in the enforced disappearances of opposition leaders Yury Zacharanka, Viktar Hanchar, and Anatol Krasoŭski [be] in 1999, charges that it has denied.

A group of SOBR and Venezuelan security officers climbed Pico Bolívar, where the flags of both Belarus and Venezuela were erected.

[3] On 16 March 2016, SOBR was formally subordinated to the 3rd Separate Special-Purpose Brigade by Ihar Šunievič [be], Minister of Internal Affairs.

A former official at the Ministry of Internal Affairs was quoted by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty as saying that the information was timed to discredit Lukashenko prior to a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Belarus-Russia integration.