Russian-Belarusian regional group starts week-long command staff drills

January 31, BPN. The Armed Forces of Belarus have started “the regional group of forces’ command staff training” on January 31, the defense ministry’s press office reported.

Belarusian and Russian military officer have a week to practice “joint planning for use of troops based on the experience of armed conflicts in recent years,” it added.

Joint operational training activities should improve the interoperability of the two armies’ command staffs, the ministry noted.

The training is a preparation for Union Shield 2023 joint maneuvers scheduled to take place in Russia in September, it said.

Joint Belarusian-Russian air and tactical drills started on January 16 and are expected to continue until February 1.

Russia and Belarus announced a plan to set up the regional group of forces last October. Russia increased its contingent in Belarus to an estimated 11,000 troops and delivered weapons, vehicles and equipment. Russian and Belarusian troops completed combat coordination on January 6.

The drills are taking place amid ongoing Russia’s war against Ukraine. Authorities in Minsk denied Belarusian troops’ involvement in combat operations on the Russian side. However, Belarus allowed Russian troops to attack Ukraine from its territory on multiple occasions.