Russia has sent additional troops to Belarus for joint drills starting in February, according to Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.
“A situation may emerge when the regional group’s forces and capabilities are not sufficient for reliably ensuring the Union State’s security and we must be ready for its reinforcement. An agreement has been reached jointly with the Belarusian side that it will be necessary to engage the State’s entire military potential for joint defense,” Fomin told a briefing for foreign military diplomats.
According to Alexander Fomin, a variety of joint operations for neutralizing threats and risks of destabilization on the borders of Russia and Belarus will be practiced during an exercise of the Union State’s joint reaction force.
“The presidents of Russia and Belarus agreed to hold this exercise back last December. The presidents made a decision to carry out an early check of the troops’ readiness for maintaining military security and to practice various scenarios of joint operations to neutralize threats and destabilization risks on the border of the Union State,” Fomin told a news briefing for foreign military attaches.
The upcoming joint military exercises, named United Resolve, are to take place amid soaring tensions between East and West over Ukraine.
Russian military forces and hardware had already begun arriving in Belarus and this threaten a potential invasion that could unleash the largest conflict in Europe for decades.