Belarus trains troops to fight saboteurs as Minsk puts its military on a war footing
Warnings that Russia could use Belarusian territory against Ukraine or a NATO state give the drills their edge.
Belarus' Defense Ministry is conducting a command-staff exercise from September 14 to 16 in Cherven and Berezino districts of Minsk Oblast. This training follows a reservist training camp that began on August 25, part of a larger round of exercises that also took place in Vawkavysk district of Hrodna Oblast from August 26. Belarus, under President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, remains Russia's closest ally in the conflict against Ukraine, supplying weapons, intelligence, and industrial capacity to Moscow.
However, these drills within Belarus raise concerns among neighboring countries, as Russia could potentially use Belarus to launch an attack on Ukraine or a NATO member state. Lukashenka has stated that the Belarusian army is preparing for war to prevent one, with the entire armed forces being checked, including mobilization units and some units deployed to wartime norms.
The exercise aims to enhance officers' command of territorial defense forces and drill personnel in coordinated action, focusing on interactions with internal affairs bodies, internal troops, and people's militia units in protecting critical facilities and enforcing martial law.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
