Ukraine says prepared for any outcome of Belarus drills

August 1, BPN. Senior Ukrainian military official Oleksiy Gromov has said Ukrainian troops are ready for any developments during the command and staff drills in Belarus on September 8-14, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

“A command and staff exercise has been scheduled in the Belarusian Armed Forces for September 8-14, the main focus of which will likely be on defense maneuvers followed by a counteroffensive and liberation of temporarily occupied territories,” Gromov said.

“It is possible that the so-called lost territory means the Volyn, Rivne and Zhytomyr regions,” he added.

According to him, the drills will involve a multinational grouping from Russia and other Collective Security Treaty Organization member states. But it is unlikely that Russians or Belarusians will invade from Belarus, he noted.

Brest City Executive Committee Chairman Alaksandr Rahačuk said that Su-25 aircraft flew over the city on September 1 as part of preparations for the drills.

“There are no reasons at all to be concerned,” he was quoted as saying by Brestcity.com.