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Russian paratroopers sent to Belarus in snap combat readiness check

Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft took off from airfields in Russia and flew to Belarus to airdrop the paratroopers

© Natalia Fedosenko/TASS

MOSCOW, November 12. /TASS/. Russia has sent paratroopers to Belarus for joint drills, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Friday.

"On November 12, a Russian paratrooper unit will land on an unknown site on the territory of the Grodno region in the Republic of Belarus as part of a surprise combat readiness inspection of the Airborne Force and take part in a joint tactical exercise with units of the Belarusian armed forces," the ministry said in a statement.

Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft took off from airfields in Russia and flew to Belarus to airdrop the paratroopers, the statement says.

After skydiving with parachutes and practicing joint combat training tasks with the Belarusian units, the Russian paratroopers will return to their home stations, Russia’s Defense Ministry said.

For his part, the Belarusian Defense Ministry reported that the paratroopers would land onto the Gozhsky training ground to check "one of the components of the Union State’s quick reaction forces" and in the wake of the military buildup near the republic’s state border.".

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