Belarus holds 'defensive' military drills near borders with Poland, Lithuania

Belarus is holding military exercises near its borders with Poland and Lithuania from Sept. 15-18, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said on Sept. 15.

The Belarusian Defense Ministry described the drills as "defensive" and said they are aimed at improving the military's ability to "protect the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

The exercise is focused on preparing troops to conduct a "strategic military operation," including securing the border, countering alleged sabotage and reconnaissance groups, and combating drones and light aircraft.

Exercises are being held at the Gozhsky training ground in Grodno Oblast, around 6 kilometers (4 miles) from the Lithuanian border, as well as at the Brestsky and Ruzhansky training grounds, roughly 15 and 60 kilometers (9 and 37 miles) from the Polish border.

Belarus has a history of tensions with its NATO neighbors, including Poland and Lithuania. Minsk has previously been accused of using hybrid tactics against the two countries, including facilitating the arrival of migrants from the Middle East and Africa to its borders with the EU, which triggered a major migration crisis.

Belarus also allowed Russian forces to use its territory as a staging ground for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The exercises also come amid a buildup of military infrastructure along the Belarus-Ukraine border, leading Kyiv to warn that Moscow may be planning to draw its closest ally deeper into the full-scale war.

"The threat of a reopened northern front is intended to stretch Ukrainian forces, pulling units from their current positions along the front line," Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at the D.C.-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told the Kyiv Independent.

Units of Russia's 101st Missile Brigade, which is equipped with the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile system, are deployed in Belarus, Ukraine's military intelligence chief Oleh Ivashchenko said in an interview published on Sept. 7.

Belarus is also building new railway infrastructure in the country's southern Gomel Oblast that will be capable of receiving military trains carrying personnel and heavy equipment, the Belarusian Railway Workers' Community reported on Aug. 24.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 15 that Ukraine had recorded fresh contacts between Moscow and Minsk aimed at convincing Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko to "join new acts of aggression."

Russia was considering using Belarusian territory to attack neighboring NATO member states, according to Zelensky.

Zelensky said on May 21 that Ukraine was prepared to take "preventive" measures against Russia and Belarus in response to potential military threats along its northern border.

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko denied that Belarus intends to enter the war, saying in an interview published on June 15 that the country poses no military threat to Ukraine. Lukashenko added that Belarus would only become involved if it were attacked.