Russia and Belarus will continue to test the reaction forces of the Union State in connection with the aggravation of the situation in the Donbass, said the Minister of Defense of the Republic, Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin.
“In connection with the increase in military activity near the external borders of the Union State and the aggravation of the situation in the Donbass, the Presidents of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation decided to continue checking the reaction forces of the Union State,” the head of the Ministry of Defense quotes.
According to the minister, during the verification of the reaction forces, the stages of the defense of the Union State, which were not previously covered “with such a degree of detail,” will be carefully worked out.
The check is designed to ensure an adequate response and de-escalation of military preparations by ill-wishers near our common borders, Khrenin recalled.
It was previously planned that the joint Russian-Belarusian exercises “Allied Resolve – 2022” will be held in Belarus from February 10 to 20. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that all Russian troops would return to their places of permanent deployment after the exercises. On February 15, units of the Western and Southern military districts went to their military units. On February 16, the troops of the Southern Military District began to return to their places of permanent deployment after exercises in the Crimea. On February 17, the ministry reported that units of the Western Military District returned from the Kursk region to Nizhny Novgorod, and parts of the Southern Military District returned from Crimea to Chechnya and Dagestan to their garrisons.
The Washington Post, citing four American officials, wrote about US concerns about the Russian-Belarusian exercises, which are taking place at an “affordable distance from the Ukrainian border.” According to intelligence, these maneuvers could become a cover for an attack on Ukraine.