Russia will also send heavy military equipment to Belarus, on the country’s border with Ukraine, as part of a Russian-Belarusian military group numbering approximately 9,000 soldiers, the Ministry of Defense of Belarus announced on Monday, as quoted by EFE and Agerpres.
According to the same source, the Russian contingent will include about 170 tanks, 200 units of armored vehicles and 100 units of artillery and mortars.
On Saturday, the first trains with Russian military arrived in Belarus, and on Sunday, Russian military planes landed there.
Belarusian President Oleksandr Lukashenko announced last week that he had agreed with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to create a grouping that his defense minister later described as “purely defensive” after NATO accused it of increasing its military presence near Belarus and arming Poland and the Baltics. countries.
Meanwhile, fears are growing in Kyiv that Russia could once again use Belarus as a staging ground for an offensive in northern Ukraine, as it did at the start of the invasion on February 24, when Russian troops came close to the Ukrainian capital from where they withdrew to focus on southern and eastern Ukraine. .
New fears about Belarus entering the war
The new movements of Russian troops in Belarus may also be a tactic to force the Ukrainian army to deploy its troops in the north of the country in order to weaken its potential for counteroffensives on other fronts.
But concerns about Minsk’s possible direct intervention in the war have resurfaced after one of Belarus’ oldest newspapers reported last week that President Oleksandr Lukashenko had ordered a secret mobilization in the country.
“Nasha Niva” wrote that the mobilization will be carried out under the pretext of “inspection” and that in the first stage it will not affect large cities, reservists will be mobilized from the countryside, but it is not yet known whether the number of people who will receive an order to register.
But most foreign analysts seem to believe that Lukashenko will not order his armed forces to join Russian forces in Ukraine, citing their small numbers and the upheaval such a move could cause at home.
Follow the latest events of the 236th day of the war in Ukraine LIVETEXT on HOTNEWS.RO.
Source: Hot News RU
James Springer is a renowned author and opinion writer, known for his bold and thought-provoking articles on a wide range of topics. He currently works as a writer at 247 news reel, where he uses his unique voice and sharp wit to offer fresh perspectives on current events. His articles are widely read and shared and has earned him a reputation as a talented and insightful writer.