Russia-Belarus maneuvers continue – SME.sk

MINSK. Joint maneuvers Russia and Belarus entitled Allied Commitment 2022, due to end on Sunday, will continue. TASR obtained this information from the official website of the Belarusian Ministry of Defense.

“In connection with the increase in military activity near the external borders of the Union (Russia and Belarus) and the deterioration of the situation in Donbas, the Presidents of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation have decided to continue the exercises of the Union forces,” Belarusian Defense Minister Viktar Chrenin said in a statement.

According to him, in the further course of the exercise, the stages of the federal state’s defense will be thoroughly elaborated, which have not been covered in detail by their previous course.

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Smell the gunpowder in Europe

Chrenin further stated that a number of state-of-the-art weapons and soldiers from third countries are also moving to neighboring countries unplanned.

“Readiness to deploy Rapid Reaction Forces has been reduced from seven to five days ONTO in the case of the so-called escalation of the situation in Ukraine, “said Chrenin.

The minister claims that the “number of incomprehensible exercises and operations” near the borders of the federal state, the focus of which against him is “obvious” has multiplied.

He accused the West of refusing to accept the red lines drawn by Russia in Europe’s security architecture, which are also relevant to Belarusians, and is intensively looking for ways to circumvent them.

“From the above, one conclusion logically follows – to smell a very strong smell of gunpowder in Europe. The whole thing is purposefully moving to war,” Chrenin concluded.

The exercises take place near the Ukrainian border

The Allied Commitment 2022 maneuvers began on February 10 in southern Belarus and were to last ten days. They are also attended by units from the Russian Southern and Western Military Districts, which, in cooperation with the Belarusian Armed Forces, have practiced repelling aggression against the federal state.

After the exercise, Russian soldiers and equipment were to return to home bases.

US and European military observers fear that Russia will use the exercises as a pretext for the permanent deployment of its troops in Belarus. The exercises take place mainly in the Brest region, which lies close to the Ukrainian border.

It is not officially known how many Russian soldiers are in Belarus and taking part in the maneuvers. Western countries estimate that Russia has relocated about 30,000 troops and important weapons systems, including anti-aircraft missiles and fighters.

From a strategic point of view, there are contingents of troops in Belarus for the Russian president Vladimir Putin considered important because the Ukrainian capital Kiev is only 80 kilometers from the Belarusian border.