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Military drills

Putin has no plans to attend Russia-Belarus ‘Union Resolve’ joint drills, says Kremlin

Speaking about the scale of the drills, the Kremlin spokesman said that it was up to the militaries to assess it or give any comparative characteristics

MOSCOW, February 9. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin is not going to attend the Russia-Belarus joint military drills, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

"No, the president has no plans," the press secretary said, replying to a question about whether the head of state was planning to attend the Russia-Belarus ‘Union Resolve 2022’ joint drills.

Speaking about the scale of the drills, the Kremlin spokesman said that it was up to the militaries to assess it or give any comparative characteristics.

"It is obvious that these are serious joint maneuvers. Yes, this is true," Peskov pointed out.

However, the nature and the concentration of threats to Russia and Belarus are currently far more serious than before, the Russian presidential spokesman stressed.

"Yes, the scope [of the drills] can be larger than before but the situation is far more tense," he emphasized.

"Both Russia and Belarus are confronted with unprecedented threats and their nature and, perhaps, concentration are, unfortunately, far more considerable and far more dangerous now than before," the Kremlin press secretary added.

These are far from being the first joint drills being held on Belarusian territory, Peskov insisted. "They are conducted regularly," he emphasized, pointing out that such events could not be just a formality.

An inspection of the Russia-Belarus Union State’s response forces is currently underway on Belarusian soil. The inspection will end with the Union Resolve 2022 drills that will run on February 10-20 on the republic’s territory.

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Military drills

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