The hard life of a soldier

The hard life of a soldier
PHOTO: The hard life of a soldier

PRESSED uniforms and shiny medals may sound like a glorious career path to take, but there's more to being a soldier than it looks.

Professional soldiers maintain very high standards of fitness and combat skills, and there's none more professional than special units tasked with sensitive or dangerous missions.

Take a look in pictures at how the Belarus interior ministry's elite unit chooses its soldiers. 

Soldiers negotiate difficult obstacle courses while fully equipped and undergo tough tests which they have to pass in order to join the unit. Bloodied noses and physical injuries aren't unusual for these dedicated men.

You may be thinking of joining the army, but once you've seen these pictures, you may just change your mind.

The hard life of a soldier
Click on thumbnail to view (Photos: Reuters)
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