Ukraine conflict
Russia and Belarus want to continue military exercises
Russian tanks drive on a field in Belarus during a military exercise. Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr/AP/dpa
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The West hoped for a withdrawal of Russian troops from Belarus. Now both countries want to continue their military exercises. Minsk justifies this with the aggravated situation in eastern Ukraine.
Amid high tensions in the Ukraine conflict, Belarus and Russia plan to continue holding joint military exercises. This was announced by the Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Chrenin.
As a result, Russian troops will not be withdrawn from Belarus for the time being, as previously announced. According to a statement, Chrenin said that “in view of the increase in military activities” near the external borders of both countries and the aggravation of the situation in eastern Ukraine, it was decided to continue the “review of the reaction forces of the Union State”.
Military maneuvers for ten days
Belarus and Russia have been holding a major maneuver together for the past ten days. That should end this Sunday. However, it is unclear how many Russian soldiers will remain in the neighboring country.
Further joint exercises have been decided by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko, as Chrenin said. The two top politicians met in Moscow on Friday and Saturday.
There was initially no reaction from the Russian side. The Kremlin had pledged that all Russian troops would leave Belarus after the end of the maneuvers. The West expressed doubts about this account. The maneuvers by both countries have been halted as part of a “review of the Union State’s response forces” that has been ongoing since January. This review will now continue.
In the West, there are fears that Russia is preparing to invade Ukraine as part of the exercise in Belarus. The military leaders in Belarus and Russia, on the other hand, repeatedly emphasize that the troop deployment is purely for training purposes, does not pose a threat to anyone and is in accordance with international law.