MINSK, December 11. /TASS/. The Belarusian-Russian regional group of forces deployed in Belarus is a factor of strategic containment and helps ensure the republic’s security, Belarusian First Deputy Defense Minister and Chief of the General Staff of the Belarusian Armed Forces Viktor Gulevich said on Sunday.

"Russia is our main ally. And we take joint measures, because the deployment of the grouping on our territory is also <…> a factor of strategic containment," he said in an interview with the STV television channel.

According to Gulevich, the fact that Belarus has an ally "promotes its security."

On October 10, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced the start of the formation of a regional group of troops. He said that this decision was made during the talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and was prompted by the aggravation of the situation along the western borders of the Union State of Russia and Belarus.