MINSK, February 16. /TASS/. Not a single Russian serviceman, nor a unit of military equipment will remain on Belarusian territory following the completion of joint drills, Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei said at a press conference on Wednesday.

"Not a single serviceman, not a single unit of military equipment [from Russia] will remain after this [the completion of drills]. This has also been stated by the Defense Ministry, [Belarusian] President [Alexander] Lukashenko has also said this, and the Belarusian side stated this during various events within the OSCE framework," the Belarusian top diplomat said.

The foreign minister noted that the Russian-Belarusian drills were scheduled in advance. "This exercise helps test the combat readiness of the Union State’s forces and means. The fact that they take place on Belarusian soil is quite justified. We see the activity displayed by NATO at our western border and in Ukraine. And this is the response to the actions undertaken by our Western partners," he concluded.

The joint Russian-Belarusian Union Resolve 2022 military exercises are taking place February 10-20, practicing deflecting possible external aggression against the Union State, counteracting terrorism and protecting the interests of the Union State. They are conducted at five Belarusian proving grounds and four airfields.