Russia and Belarus will hold joint military exercises in Belarus from September 12 to 16 to test their readiness and protect their Union State alliance, according to Reuters.
Ukrainian President Zelensky earlier warned of possible Russian moves in Belarus, though without evidence. Belarusian President Lukashenko moved the drills away from western borders to ease regional tensions and called claims of aggression “nonsense.”
Belarus sees NATO’s response, including planned exercises in Poland, as unnecessary militarization. Tensions remain high after Russia used Belarusian land for its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reported.
