Belarus: Moscow sends 9,000 troops and 170 tanks

Up to 9,000 troops and about 170 tanks from Russia will grow on its soil Belarus for the formation of a “regional military force” that the two countries have announced, as it became known from the Ministry of Defense in Minsk.

The purpose of the initiative is allegedly to defend the Belarusian border against the “threat” of Ukraine – according to the leader of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko – at a time when the Russian army is recording failures on the Ukrainian front, underlines the French Agency (AFP)

“The total number of Russian soldiers expected to arrive in Belarus is up to 9,000,” he said in a Telegram post. Valery Revenko, advisor to the Belarusian Defense Minister. According to him, Moscow will also ship approx 170 tanks, 200 other armored vehicles, guns and mortars of a caliber greater than 100 millimeters.

Russian military units will be deployed to four firing ranges in eastern and central Belarus, where they will participate in joint exercises that include live fire and anti-aircraft missile launches.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko last week accused Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania of preparing “terrorist attacks” and inciting “insurgency” in his country, justifying the decision to set up this “regional military force”. Minsk assures that its role is purely “defensive”.

A few months ago, Russia had previously announced that it would equip Belarus with Iskander M missiles, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and will modernize the aircraft of the Belarusian Air Force.

During a G7 summit last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of wanting to “drag Belarus into war” and called for an international observer force to be sent to the Ukraine-Belarus border.

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