Moscow, 8 Dec. Members of the Russian forces stationed in Belarus begin this Thursday tactical military exercises in polygons of the Belarusian Army, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on its Telegram channel.
The exercises, which are carried out at the company level, aim to improve the coordination of the units, according to the military statement.
“The military carry out shooting practices with light weapons and mortars. They study tactical medicine and other disciplines,” added Defense, which specified that the Russian troops are part of the Russian-Belarusian regional military group.
Last October the President of Belarus, Alexandr Lukashenko, announced that he had agreed with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, the deployment of a joint regional group of troops due to “the aggravation on the western borders of the State Union”.
According to Minsk, the total number of the Russian component of the group consists of up to 9,000 servicemen, regarding 170 tanks, up to 200 armored fighting vehicles and up to 100 guns and mortars with a caliber of more than 100 millimeters.
The Ukrainian authorities accuse the Belarusian regime of being complicit in the Russian aggression, and have warned Minsk that in the event that Belarusian soldiers break into Ukrainian soil, the Ukrainian Army’s response will be devastating.
Precisely from the territory of Belarus, the Russian Army launched its failed offensive on kyiv at the beginning of its military campaign in Ukraine, which culminated in a withdrawal, described by Moscow as a “gesture of goodwill”.
Lukashenko has stated on several occasions that his country will not enter the war in Ukraine alongside Russia. EFE
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