Russian Ground Forces commander checks units in Belarus

January 12, BPN. A Russian defense ministry commission headed by Ground Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleg Salyukov has arrived in Belarus, the Belarusian defense ministry has said.

“It inspected military units and subunits of the regional group of troops’ Russian component stationed at the Belarusian Armed Forces’ training grounds,” it said. “It checked the quality of combat readiness exercises and evaluated units’ readiness to fulfill their tasks and ensure the Union State’s military security.”

One day earlier, the Belarusian defense ministry reported that the Russian-Belarusian group’s air defences were being beefed up.

On January 6, a Russian commander reported to Alaksandr Łukašenka that Russian and Belarusian troops completed combat coordination as part of the group.

On January 8, the defense ministry reported that a Russian aviation component arrived in the country. Belarusian and Russian pilots are expected to train together from January 16 to February 1.

Russia has repeatedly struck Ukraine from Belarusian territory, where it has a growing military presence. It used Belarus as a launchpad for its February 2022 offensive on Kyiv. At the same time, Belarus says its troops are not directly involved in hostilities in Ukraine.