Belarus’ armed forces launched a surprise large-scale exercise Wednesday morning to test combat readiness amid Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
Belarus says military exercises do not pose a threat to Ukraine or the rest of Europe.
Reports of the exercises come as Russia focuses on sustaining war on eastern Ukraine.
“It is planned that [combat readiness] The test will involve the movement of a significant number of military vehicles, which could slow down traffic on public roads, “the Belarusian government said in a statement.
Belarus did not specify exactly where the exercises were being held, but said it appreciated the ability to “counter military threats both on the ground and in the air”.
In the first days of the attack, areas in Ukraine, including its capital Kyiv, neighboring Belarus, came under Russian attack.
Belarus has been accused of supporting Russia’s military efforts in northwestern Ukraine without participating directly in the attacks, prompting the West to impose sanctions.
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko spoke with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday and discussed the Russian operation in Ukraine, among other issues, according to official statements.
Last week, Ukraine’s defense ministry warned against the aggressors’ high probability of launching missile strikes from Belarus.
Prior to the declaration of war on February 24, the two countries held joint military exercises.
This map shows the extent of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on April 19
(Images of the press association)
Minsk, a key ally of Moscow, has vowed to “jointly oppose any attempt to slow the development of our countries or artificially isolate them from the global economy.”
Referring to Western sanctions, Mr Lukashenko told the Russian counterpart in April: “We are bound in many ways, including industrial cooperation, and such attempts will never succeed against us.”
Last week, Belarus’s defense ministry announced it would hold joint air defense exercises with Russia to cover areas of co-operation, capabilities and planning.
As the war continued in its third month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested that Putin might be referring to hypersonic missiles when he recently mentioned that Moscow has “incomparable weapons.”
“Everyone knows this. Three years ago, during his address to the Federal Assembly, President Vladimir Putin presented the latest Russian innovations. First of all, they include hypersonic weapons. He gave a frank and detailed explanation that Russia began developing them after the United States withdrew from the Missile Treaty, “Lavrov said.
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