16th January, 2023
Russia and Belarus will begin joint air force drills on Monday, raising concerns in Kiev and the West that Moscow may use its ally to launch a new ground offensive in Ukraine.
Minsk claims the drills are defensive, and since Moscow used Belarus as a launching pad for its invasion of Ukraine last February, Belarus has conducted numerous military exercises, both independently and in collaboration with Russia.
Together with Moscow, Minsk has also bolstered the drills with weaponry and military equipment.
Since the beginning of the year, unofficial military monitoring channels have reported a slew of fighters, helicopters, and military transport planes landing in Belarus, including eight fighters and four cargo planes on Sunday alone.
The Belarusian defence ministry said only that “units” of Russia’s air forces have been arriving in Belarus.
“During the tactical flight exercise, all airfields and training grounds of the Air Force and Air Defence Forces of the Armed Forces of Belarus will be involved,” the ministry said in a statement.
The situation on Belarus’s southern border – the border with Ukraine – was “not very calm,” and Ukraine has been “provoking” Belarus, said Pavel Muraveyko, first deputy state secretary of Belarusian Security Council, according to a post on the Belarusian defence ministry’s Telegram app on Sunday.
“We’re maintaining restraint and patience, keeping our gunpowder dry,” Muraveyko said. “We have the necessary set of forces and means that will respond to any manifestations of aggression or a terrorist threat on our territory.”
Ukraine has continuously warned of possible attacks from Belarus and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last week that the country must be ready at its border with Belarus.
The Kremlin has denied that it has been pressuring Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to take a more active role in the conflict in Ukraine. Minsk has said it will not enter the war.
Reuters