The Belarusian military will conduct exercises in order to check its readiness for combat, the Belarusian Defense Ministry's press service announced on Oct. 3.
The "comprehensive" exercises, ordered by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, will include inspections, combat training, and the movement of troops and equipment between the capital Minsk and Vitebsk, a city by the Russian border.
Belarus allowed Russian troops to use its territory as a base to invade Ukraine at the beginning of the full-scale war, especially for their failed offensive on Kyiv. Russian forces have also used Belarusian territory to launch missiles and drones at Ukraine.
Despite this, the Belarusian military has not officially joined Russia's war against Ukraine. They have routinely conducted exercises during the war, as well as engaging in aggressive actions that antagonize its neighbors, such as sending Belarusian helicopters into Polish airspace on Aug. 1.
Polish authorities have strengthened their security presence by the Belarusian border, and Latvia and Lithuania have begun closing border crossings to the country, as well as discussing a total closure of the land border to Belarus.
Maria Yeryoma
