MOSCOW, February 10. /TASS/. Troops from Russia and Belarus kicked off the Union Resolve 2022 joint drills at training grounds on Belarusian soil as part of the second stage of the inspection of the Union State’s response forces, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Thursday.

"The drills are being conducted to practice the tasks of countering and repelling external aggression in the course of a defensive operation, fighting terrorism and protecting the interests of the Union State," the ministry said in a statement.

The participating troops will practice measures at the Domanovsky, Gozhsky, Obuz-Lesnovsky, Brestsky and Osipovichsky training grounds and on particular terrain to bolster the protection of the state border to prevent the penetration of illegal armed gangs. The troops will practice shutting down the channels of the delivery of weapons and ammunition, searching for, blocking and eliminating enemy subversive and reconnaissance groups, the ministry specified.

"The Baranovichi, Luninets, Lida and Machulishchi airfields will also be involved in the drills," the statement says.

The joint military maneuvers have brought together command centers, units and formations of Russia’s Eastern Military District and the Belarusian armed forces, the ministry specified.

The inspection of the Union State’s response forces is running on Belarusian soil in accordance with a decision by the heads of Russia and Belarus made in December last year.