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Belarus beefs up air defenses along western, northwestern borders

According to the Belarusian Defense Ministry, flights by strategic aviation will be carried out on a regular basis

MINSK, November 10. /TASS/. Belarus built up air defense alert forces along its western and northwestern borders, the Belarusian Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday.

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"The Belarusian armed forces built up air defense alert groups along the state border of Belarus in the western and northwestern directions," the statement says.

For these purposes, the Belarusian armed forces carried out the tasks of patrolling the country’s airspace with the involvement of two Tu-22M3 long-range bombers of Russia’s Aerospace Force, the ministry said.

"By decision of the Belarusian Defense Ministry agreed with the leadership of the Defense Ministry of Russia, the issues of the interaction of forces and capabilities making part of the single regional air defense system of the Belarusian and Russian armed forces were practiced in the air today," the statement says.

"The tasks of patrolling the state border in the airspace of the Republic of Belarus with the involvement of two Tu-22M3 aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Force were fulfilled," the ministry said.

As the Belarusian Defense Ministry stressed, "such flights by strategic bomber aviation were previously of cyclical nature and from now on they will be carried out on a regular basis."

Russia’s Defense Ministry reported earlier on Wednesday that two Russian Tu-22M3 long-range bombers had practiced interoperability with command posts of the Russian and Belarusian armed forces and checked the Union State’s air defenses.

The air defense check was conducted under the direction of the Belarusian Air Force and Air Defense commander, it said.

"All the assigned tasks were accomplished in full," the Russian Defense Ministry stressed, noting that the Tu-22M3 long-range bombers had returned to their home airfield in Russia.

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