Skip to content
Edit post

UK Defense Ministry: Belarusian instructors likely training Russian conscripts due to ‘overstretch’ of Russian military system

by The Kyiv Independent news desk December 22, 2022 11:56 AM 1 min read
This audio is created with AI assistance

Belarus’ military has likely taken on a “significant, but more discreet” role in training Russian conscripts, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on Dec. 22.

The shift is likely intended to “partially remediate the lack of Russian military trainers, many of whom are deployed in Ukraine or have become casualties."

According to the U.K. Defense Ministry, the shift represents a “role reversal,” as Belarus’ military has traditionally been considered as “inferior” by Russia to its own.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk on Dec. 19, marking Putin’s eighth meeting with Lukashenko in 2022.

Putin and Lukashenko agreed to continue the practice of joint military exercises and develop new military equipment to form a “single defense space.”

Putin announced that Russian soldiers would train Belarusian pilots on aircraft re-equipped “for the possible use of airborne ammunition with a special warhead,” referring to Kinzhal missiles and nuclear warheads.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said, “nothing dramatic happened during this meeting.”

Similarly, the Institute for the Study of War reported that Lukashenko has likely managed to deflect Putin’s efforts to coerce Belarus into further Russian-Belarusian integration.

News Feed

7:53 PM

Trump holds talks with Zelensky following his 1.5-hour-long conversation with Putin.

"The conversation went very well. He, like President (Vladimir) Putin, wants to make peace. We discussed a variety of topics having to do with the war, but mostly, the meeting that is being set up on Friday in Munich, where Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the delegation," U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social.
5:23 PM

Russia's growing shadow fleet sends a dangerous signal, expert warns.

Russia has resorted to a "shadow fleet" to transport its oil and gas to get around Western sanctions and price caps. The Kyiv Independent spoke with Elisabeth Braw, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council's Transatlantic Security Initiative, to find out what options the West has and how dangerous the shadow fleet actually is.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.