Belarus’ defense ministry said Russia and Belarus began joint air force exercises on Monday morning, raising fears in Kyiv and the West that Moscow could use its ally to launch a new ground offensive in Ukraine.
The exercises, which Minsk previously called “defensive”, will last until February 1.
According to the message published in the Telegram account of the Ministry of Defense of Belarus, units of the Russian Air Force arrived at the airfields of Belarus on Sunday evening.
Just after 8:00 a.m. local time, the ministry announced that scheduled combat training tasks had begun.
Minsk says the drills are defensive, but the steady build-up of Russian troops in Belarus, combined with a series of military operations in the country, echoes what happened even before Russia invaded Ukraine in February, when Moscow used the country to launch an attack.
Fighters in Belarus
The unofficial military monitoring channel Telegram reported that more fighter jets, helicopters and military transport planes have arrived in Belarus since the beginning of the year: eight fighter jets and four cargo planes on Sunday alone, The Guardian reported.
“During the flight-tactical training, all airfields and training grounds of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Belarus will be involved,” the Ministry of Defense said in a statement cited by Reuters.
The situation on the southern border of Belarus with Ukraine was not “very calm”, and Ukraine “provoked” Belarus, the First Deputy State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Pavlo Muraveyko said on Sunday in the Telegram channel. Ministry of Defense of Belarus.
“We keep our composure and patience, keep our powder dry. We have the necessary set of forces and means that will respond to any manifestation of aggression or terrorist threat on our territory,” Muravejko said.
Ukraine has constantly warned of possible attacks from Belarus, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said last week that the country should be ready on the border with Belarus.
The Kremlin denies that it pressured Belarusian President Oleksandr Lukashenko to play a more active role in the conflict in Ukraine. Minsk declared that they would not fight.
Follow the latest events of the war in Ukraine LIVETEXT on HotNews.ro
Source: Hot News
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.