The Ministry of Defense of Belarus announced today, Sunday, that Moscow and Minsk will conduct joint flight exercises of air groups belonging to the regional grouping of troops of the two countries from next week.
The ministry said in a statement that the exercises will continue from January 16 to February 1.
According to the statement, the Russian Air Force arrived in Belarus today, Sunday. The ministry clarified that all airports and ranges of the Air Force and Air Defense of Belarus will be involved in the exercises.
According to the channel “VoenTV” of the Ministry of Defense of Belarus, “regional forces (united Russia and Belarus) conduct exercises almost without interruption.”
The channel added, “The intensity of the exercises is constantly increasing. The goal is to prepare for a response to the aggressor on all fronts, ”noting that special emphasis is placed on military operations in urban conditions during the exercises.
In the context, the TV channel spoke about the use of Moscow’s experience in military operations in Ukraine during the exercises and how to deal with “situations in which the enemy sets up firing sites in various buildings in cities.”
And in October last year, Belarus announced the creation of a joint regional force with Russia, which was joined by thousands of Russian recruits. The deployment of Russian soldiers in Belarus has raised fears that Belarusian forces will join the ongoing assault on Ukraine.
Russian forces used Belarus as a starting point for an attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in February 2022, and military cooperation between Moscow and Minsk has expanded in recent months.
Minsk insists that it is not involved in the Ukrainian conflict and will only participate in it if its security is threatened by Ukraine or its Western allies.
And in December last year, Belarus adopted a decision that temporarily restricts access to parts of the “Gomel” region in the southeast, bordering Ukraine and Russia.
The Belarusian government announced on its website that it would “temporarily restrict access, temporary residence and movement in the border zone in Lovsky, Brazhinsky and Khoiniki in Gomel.”
The government did not explain how long the restrictions would last, but said its decision did not apply to officials, workers and residents in those areas.
