Russia sends troops to Belarus for war games

Source: The Hill | January 18, 2022 | Ellen Mitchell

Russian officials on Tuesday said Moscow is sending its troops to Belarus for joint military drills, a move that will place more Kremlin troops and equipment near Ukraine as Western nations fear an invasion. 

Russia and Belarus will participate in drills involving exercises to “thwart and repel a foreign aggression,” according to Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin, as reported by The Associated Press. 

Russia, which has already has already begun moving its troops and equipment for the war games — to include a dozen Su-35 fighter jets — expects to have its forces in place in the second week of February, with the drills to take place Feb. 10-20, according to Fomin. 

Later Tuesday, when asked whether the Pentagon had assessed the movements to Belarus, press secretary John Kirby said he would not comment on the operations and exercises of another country and that the Russians “can certainly speak for themselves in that.”  

Kirby added that officials “continue to see a sizable force presence by the Russian armed forces in the western part of their country, around the northeastern border with Ukraine,” which “continues to be concerning to us.”

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