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Russia-Belarus exercise does not exceed 2011 Vienna Document limit — ambassador

The purpose of the current checks in Belarus is to test the readiness of the Union State’s joint reaction force

MOSCOW, February 9. /TASS/. The number of forces involved in the Russian-Belarusian exercise Union Resolve-2022 does not exceed the limit established under the 2011 Vienna Document, Russia’s ambassador to Belarus, Boris Gryzlov, said on Wednesday.

"Both Russian troops and armaments have arrived for this exercise [in Belarus]. I would like to stress that there is a certain cap on the strength of forces and on the hardware involved. It was established under the Vienna Document of 2011. This limit has not been exceeded, so there is nothing to worry about," Gryzlov said on the Rossiya-24 round-the-clock television news channel in an interview.

He stressed that NATO was bringing its forces ever closer to the borders of the Union State, in particular, Poland.

"There are not tens or hundreds, but thousands of troops involved. It goes without saying that we are obliged to take care of the security of our Western borders. I am referring to the common borders of our Union State of Russia and Belarus," he explained.

The purpose of the current checks in Belarus is to test the readiness of the Union State’s joint reaction force. The checks will end with the Union Resolve-2022 exercise, to be held in Belarus on February 10-20.