ALBAWABA – The air forces of Russia and Belarus began joint drills, seen as sign of Moscow flexing its muscles in the 11-month-old war with the Ukraine.
Russian air forces arrived in Belarus earlier on Monday to take part in the exercises, which are said to bolster both country's defense capabilities.
Th drills come after Russia and its close ally, Minsk, the capital of Belarus, reinforced their defense forces a while ago in preparation for the exercises.
The Russian and Belarusian Air Forces have begun Joint-Strategic Air Exercises that will last at least until Early February. pic.twitter.com/LqMbaqftkf
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 16, 2023
Despite the Russian government's insistence that the drills are just defensive exercises, carried out by the Russian forces to enhance their readiness for any provocative actions by Ukraine, the latter says that this comes in light of expected possible attacks from the Russian-Belarusian side.
Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus, has raised concerns in Kyiv and the West after he allowed Russian President Vladimir Putin to use his country to be one of the starting points in the military operation in Ukraine last February.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made an urgent appeal to Western countries to provide his country with effective air defenses, following a visit by Putin to Belarus, expecting a new attack by Moscow from Belarus anytime soon.
At the time, Zelensky said in a video-tapped speech that protecting his country's borders is a permanent priority and that Ukraine is ready for all possible scenarios with Russia and its ally, Belarus.
A Russian military committee led by the commander of the ground forces, Oleg Saliukov, visited Belarus, a short time ago, where the committee inspected the joint forces before the launch of the joint exercises between the two countries.
For her part, spokesperson for the Southern Operations Command in the Ukrainian army, Natalia Huminiuk, expressed concern over the maneuvers, reiterating that her country's army is ready to defend any possible "aggression."
These developments coincide with the escalation of tension between Ukraine and its neighbor Belarus, particularly after Russian ballistic missiles had targeted Ukraine earlier, amid assurances by sources in the Ukrainian government that they had launched from Belarus.
In the midst of the potential escalation in the level of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, the Secretary-General of NATO, Yenos Stoltenberg, said on Sunday that Western countries will deliver to Ukraine new shipments of heavy weapons.
