{"id":202285,"date":"2026-09-03T12:03:49","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T09:03:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/202285\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T12:03:51","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T09:03:51","slug":"belarus-holds-two-dozen-major-military-drills-since-january-analysis","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/202285\/","title":{"rendered":"Belarus holds two dozen major military drills since January \u2014 analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

September 3, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> Since the start of 2026, Belarus has hosted dozens of large- and small-scale military exercises alongside the interior ministry\u2019s drills and maneuvers involving internal troops, according to Pozirk\u2019s<\/em> analysis of official data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Military training in Belarus is conducted in waves, with one phase flowing into the next. Until 2022, drills followed a largely cyclical and seasonal pattern, but by 2026 they had become a continuous process. Combat training now incorporates Russia\u2019s experience in its war on Ukraine, with some exercises focusing on countering drone attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, Belarus has held approximately two dozen events described as command-and-staff exercises, territorial defense drills and combat-readiness inspections, according to open-source data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least four major \u201ccombat-readiness checks\u201d have taken place since January, with the largest being a surprise inspection announced by Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka that ran from mid-January through March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In May, Belarus and Russia conducted a joint exercise to check their readiness to use non-strategic nuclear weapons. It involved missile deployment, training for missile and air force personnel, and simulated launches from different locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In late August, Belarus\u2019 Security Council launched an exercise designed to test the combat readiness of an artillery brigade and the ability of the Armed Forces across their command chain to function under wartime conditions, drawing on lessons learned from the military conflicts in Ukraine and Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least seven major staff exercises and six rounds of territorial defense drills have been held across Belarus since January. More than 9,400 people were called up for military training as of July, according to a recent iSANS analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian authorities have repeatedly accused the West of harboring aggressive intentions toward Belarus. When Russia started a full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022, the regime in Minsk sided with the Kremlin, allowing Russian troops to attack Ukraine from Belarus on multiple occasions and supplying arms to Moscow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More recently, however, \u0141uka\u0161enka and his senior officials have toned down their anti-Western rhetoric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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