The Belarusian Ministry of Defence officially announced Russian-Belarusian military exercises in September. The maneuvers are to be part of military cooperation between 2 countries within the Union State.
The aim of the exercise is to test Belarus and Russia's ability to "ensure the military safety of the State of the Union and their readiness to defy possible aggression", as the ministry has communicated. Planned maneuvers will take place in the coming weeks.
Warnings from Ukraine
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenski had previously warned - without giving details - that Russia was "pretending something" in Belarus under the pretext of regular military exercises. The Ukrainian leader has not provided concrete information on his concerns.
Alaksandr Lukashenka in an interview with the American magazine "Time" last week stated that he decided to push the exercise further distant from the western borders. The Belarusian leader justified this with concern in Poland and the Baltic States.
Position of the Belarusian authorities
Lukashenka emphasized that the thought that Belarus should usage the exercise to attack these countries is "total nonsense". The Belarusian leader thus addressed the concerns expressed by western neighbours.
Representative of the Belarusian Ministry of Defence General Waler Rawienka declared that Russian-Belarusian exercises "are utilized as a pretext for militarization of neighbouring NATO states", as Reuter's agency reported. The General commented on the responses of NATO countries to the planned maneuvers.
Historical context
Russia utilized the territory of Belarus to attack Ukraine in 2022. Dislocation of troops was carried out under the appearance of Russian-Belarusian military exercises.
Sources used: "PAP" Note: This article has been edited with the aid of Artificial Intelligence.
