Russia and Belarus are holding another week of joint military exercises, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
“This week, military representatives from both countries will implement a joint plan on the use of their forces based on their experience in recent armed conflicts,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said the purpose of the exercise was to improve the compatibility of the two countries’ forces and was part of preparations for the joint Union Shield 2023 exercise, which the two countries will hold in Russia in September.
The announcement of the new exercise comes as Russian and Belarusian air combat forces continue to conduct training missions during joint flight and tactical exercises of the two countries’ air forces.
The exercises are taking place at the Luzhansky training ground in Belarus, about 150 kilometers (93 miles) north of the Ukrainian border.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin is backing plans to set up a joint military training center with Belarus, Agence France-Presse reported.
In an order announced on Tuesday, Putin ordered his defense and foreign ministers to hold talks with Belarus and sign an agreement to set up the facility, AFP reported.
The document did not specify where they would be based.
Some context: Ann Presentation Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko announced in October that Belarus and Russia would form a joint regional force to carry out the alarming exercises in Kyiv.
The last time the Belarusian and Russian armies held joint exercises, in february Last year, many of these Russian troops crossed the Ukrainian border and unfortunately made their way to the capital.
But Western officials have spoken to the media this week about the background and have expressed doubts that Russia could launch an offensive from Belarus in the coming months.
But the presence of Russian troops will prompt Ukraine to station troops in that direction to “offset its potential risks,” officials said, in the next few months.
