MINSK, October 17. /TASS/. About 170 tanks, 200 combat vehicles and 100 artillery guns and mortars will arrive in Belarus from Russia to reinforce the regional group of forces, Chief of the Belarusian Defense Ministry’s International Military Cooperation Department Valery Revenko said on Monday.

"The contingent that will arrive in the Republic of Belarus will total up to 9,000 personnel, about 170 tanks, up to 200 combat armored vehicles and up to 100 guns and mortars of a caliber of over 100 mm," the defense official wrote on his Twitter page.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced on October 10 that Belarus and Russia had begun deploying a regional group of forces mostly comprised of the Belarusian military personnel. As the Belarusian leader pointed out, the decision to deploy the joint group of forces had been made during talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and was prompted by the escalation on the western borders of the Belarus-Russia Union State.

The Belarusian Defense Ministry announced on October 15 about the arrival of the first military trains with Russian troops in the republic. As the ministry specified, the Russian military contingent in the joint regional group of forces would total about 9,000 personnel.