MINSK, August 21. /TASS/. The Belarusian army will hold large-scale drills under the direction of the Western Operational Command’s chief on August 28-31, the republic’s Defense Ministry reported on Friday.
"An integrated grouping of forces has been set up to hold a comprehensive tactical exercise. It comprises Airborne Force, motor rifle, armored and artillery units and also the squads of unmanned aerial vehicles and electronic warfare systems," the Defense Ministry said.
Helicopters will redeploy from the Machulishchi aerodrome in the Minsk Region to the Lida airfield in the Grodno Region to provide support for the troops’ operations, it said.
"A parachute battalion of the 103rd separate airborne brigade has conducted a march to the designated area and started practicing anti-saboteur measures," the statement reads.
At the 174th training ground of the Air Force and Air Defense Troops in the Brest Region, the anti-aircraft missile and artillery battalions of the 6th and 11th separate mechanized brigades are holding live firings from Tunguska air defense missile systems, according to the statement.
"An-26, Yak-130 and Su-30SM aircraft will continue performing planned flights to protect the state borders in the airspace," the Defense Ministry said.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko earlier instructed the Defense Ministry to closely follow NATO forces’ movements in Poland and Lithuania and put the troops on high alert on the country’s western borders, noting the escalation of tension in the region.
Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin issued an order on August 19 to beef up the grouping of forces in the Grodno area with the battalions of tactical missiles and multiple rocket launchers and with a squad of drones and air defense systems.