Belarus plans to move military equipment and forces on Wednesday and Thursday in what it said was a counter-terrorism exercise, amid fears that Russia may mount a new attack on Ukraine from the territory of its Belarusian ally.
“During this period, it is planned to move military equipment and personnel of the national security forces,” the state BelTA news agency cited the country’s Security Council as saying.
“The movement of citizens [transport] along certain public roads and areas would be restricted and the use of imitation weapons for training purposes is planned,” it added.
There was no information on what parts of the country could be affected.
Belarus has said it will not enter the war in neighbouring Ukraine, but President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has in the past ordered troops to deploy with Russian forces near the Ukrainian border, citing threats to Belarus from Kyiv and the West.
Deepening dependence
Belarus and Russia are formally part of a “union state” and are closely allied economically and militarily, with Russia using Belarus as a staging post for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Belarusian dependence on Russia has deepened after Moscow’s support helped Lukashenka quash a wave of unrest after disputed elections in 2020.
Though the Belarusian dictator had for many years resisted Russian military deployments in Belarus, Moscow’s troops arrived in the country shortly before the February 24 invasion, launching an unsuccessful attack on Kyiv from Belarusian territory.
In October, Lukashenka announced a fresh Russian deployment of 9,000 troops to the country as part of a new joint military grouping between the two countries.
Ukraine has been warning for months that it fears that Belarus and Russia could be planning a new incursion across Ukraine’s northern border.
In a statement posted on Facebook on Wednesday, Ukraine’s General Staff said: “Enemy units are being trained on the training grounds of the Republic of Belarus” and that Russian attacks continued to be launched from Belarusian territory.
Source: TVP World
