Belarus Plans To Hold Military Exercises Amid Ukraine's Concerns

Belarusian military illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Serge Serebro/Vitebsk Popular News)

JAKARTA - Belarus plans to move its equipment and military forces on Wednesday and Thursday, in what it says are counter-terrorism exercises, the latest of a series of concerns-causing military actions, Russia may launch a new attack on Ukraine from its territory.

"During this period, it is planned to move military equipment and personnel of national security forces," state news agency Belta quoted the Belarusian Security Council as saying.

"The movement of residents along certain roads and public areas will be restricted and the use of artificial weapons for training purposes is planned," the statement continued.

There is no information about which areas will be affected or what form of exercise will be taken.

Belarus has said it will not enter war in neighboring Ukraine, but President Alexander Lukashenko in the past has ordered troops to deploy with Russian troops near the Ukrainian border, citing threats to Belarus from Kyiv and the West.

Belarus and Russia are formally part of an "union" and are closely allied economically and militaryly. President Lukashenko himself for years rejected the deployment of the Russian military in Belarus. However, his dependence on Moscow deepened, as it helped him quell the wave of pro-democracy protests after the disputed elections in 2020.

In October, President Lukashenko announced Russia's new deployment of 9,000 troops to Belarus, as part of a new joint military grouping.

Separately, Ukraine has warned for months that it is concerned Belarus and Russia could plan a new attack across its northern border.

In a statement posted on Facebook on Wednesday, Ukraine's General Staff said enemy units were being trained in Belarus and Russian attacks continued to be launched from Belarus.

It is known that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held talks with his counterpart from Belarus, Viktor Khrenin last week, to discuss military cooperation.