MINSK, January 18. /TASS/. The Union Resolve 2022 Russia-Belarus joint drills will run on Belarusian territory on February 10-20 as part of an inspection of the Union State’s response forces, Chief of the Belarusian Defense Ministry’s International Military Cooperation Department Oleg Voinov told a briefing for military attaches on Tuesday.
"The inspection will run in two stages. At the first stage before February 9 the Belarusian and Russian militaries will practice redeploying troops and creating task forces within a short period of time in dangerous directions. At the second stage of the inspection that will run on February 10-20, the Union Resolve 2022 joint drills will be held," the press office of the Belarusian Defense Ministry quoted Voinov as saying.
The first stage of the inspection will practice "protecting and defending vital state and military facilities and protecting the state border in the airspace, including as part of the Belarus-Russia joint regional air defense system," he said.
The Belarusian and Russian militaries will also inspect the readiness of the air defense combat alert forces and capabilities, including the joint air defense combat training center, to accomplish combat training tasks, he specified.
During the joint drills, the troops will practice "reinforcing state border sections in potential areas of the illegal penetration of armed gangs into the territory of Belarus and shutting down channels of the supply of arms, munitions and other means that can be used for destabilizing the situation in the country, with measures to gain control of designated frontiers and set up checkpoints," the Belarusian defense official said.
In the course of the joint operational drills, the troops will also practice "searching for, blocking and eliminating outlawed armed gangs and enemy subversive and reconnaissance groups" and also "some issues of the post-conflict settlement," Voinov said.
Troops participating in the drills
As the Belarusian defense official specified, the upcoming inspection of the Union State’s response forces is set to involve "some forces and capabilities of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, and also military command centers, some military units and formations of Russia’s Eastern Military District."
The troops will practice their joint operations at the Obuz-Lesnovsky, Osipovichsky, Brestsky, Gozhsky and Domanovsky training grounds and also at some terrain sections, he specified.
"There are plans to involve the Baranovichi, Luninets, Lida and Machulishchi airfields," Voinov said.
As the Belarusian defense official specified, "proceeding from its parameters (the strength of the engaged personnel, basic armaments and military hardware, the upcoming inspection does not require notifying in accordance with the 2011 Vienna document."
The upcoming operational and combat training exercise will be held "amid the exacerbating military and political situation in the world and the continued growing tension in Europe, including near the western and southern borders of the Republic of Belarus," the Belarusian defense official said.
"The upcoming drills will assess the ability of military command centers and troops (forces) to accomplish the tasks of ensuring the military security of the Union State," the Belarusian defense official stressed.