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Russia’s 76th Airborne Division, which was also involved in the country’s aggression against Ukraine, participated in military exercises in Belarus.
It was announced that the joint Russian-Belarusian military exercise “Slavianska bratsvo 2020” began at the Brest training ground on September 14, reports censor.net.
According to the media, according to InformNapalm, a unit of the 76th Airborne Division of the Western Military District of the Russian Federation also participates in military training.
“In the context of the massive protests against President Aliaksandr Lukashenko in Belarus, almost 300 soldiers from this division and 70 units of military and special equipment arrived in the country under the guise of this military training (official data only),” the report said. .
It is also noted that observers have accumulated evidence that the division was involved in the Russian aggression against Georgia, the Crimean occupation operation and the military operations in Donbas.
InformNaplm volunteers also collected data on 76th Division commanders who participated in military operations against Ukraine and Georgia.
The press service of the Belarusian Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had also paid a working visit to Minsk.
According to the report, Shouig arrived to “discuss issues of bilateral military cooperation between Belarus and Russia.”
In the political crisis in Belarus, the tactical exercise of the Russian and Belarusian armies “Slavic Brotherhood” began on Monday. Serbia also had to participate in the exercise, but then refused to do so.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the exercise will continue until September 25, with more than 800 soldiers and some 170 technical units from both countries.
“The theme of the exercise is the fight against terrorism; they are not directed against other countries, ”the ministry said.
According to her, some 300 troops sent by Russia and about 70 combat vehicles will arrive in Belarus by rail. At the end of the training, they will return to permanent deployment points in Russia.
The annual exercise “Slavic Brotherhood” has been organized since 2015; last year they were held in Serbia. This year, the training will take place in a bilateral format, as Belgrade has decided not to participate in any international maneuvers for half a year.
Serbian Defense Minister Alexander Vulin announced that his country had decided to freeze participation in all planned joint military exercises with other countries, including Russia, for six months.
“In the near future, we will not participate in any joint exercises or other projects related to the armed forces with NATO, the CSTO, Russia, the United States, China, the EU, the West and the East,” the minister said.
According to A. Vulin, the government made such a decision “after great and undeserved pressure” from the European Union. He claimed that this pressure was part of the “hysteria” of the EU and the “increasing (Western) attacks against our country”.
“We are being asked to abandon the planned military exercise with Belarus, threatening to deprive us of our European future,” Vulin said.
The EU welcomed Serbia’s decision not to participate in the exercise in Belarus.
“Serbia should gradually shape its policy towards third countries, taking into account the policies and positions adopted by the European Union,” said European Commission spokeswoman Ana Pisonero at a press conference in Brussels, commenting on the statements of Belgrade that the EU had pressured him to take that step.
According to the EC representative, Brussels welcomes Belgrade’s decision to support the EU position against Belarus, which is plagued with anti-government protests.
“Serbia is involved in a number of security and defense policies of the Union missions, and we appreciate Serbia’s contribution to these missions,” the official continued. “Serbia considers integration into the Union to be a strategic priority and therefore must honor its commitments.”
During a meeting with Putin in Sochi on Monday, Lukashenko criticized military exercises in NATO countries on the borders of Belarus, saying that Russia and Belarus “would prepare their troops to face any threat.”
On Tuesday, Lithuanian Armed Forces Commander Valdemaras Rupšys stressed that joint exercises by Belarus and Russia organized in Belarus near the border with Lithuania do not pose a direct threat to the country so far.
However, V. Rupšys qualifies the statements of the current leader of Belarus, Aliaksandr Lukashenko, under pressure that the NATO exercise in Lithuania represents a threat to Belarus.
“There is no immediate threat now, of course we see it as pressure. On the other hand, all the time we need to assess how much its capacity is growing in the countries on our borders. Of course, its combat power, the deployment of means. military, but also the exercises are worrying, because the exercises are always focused, contrary to what is claimed, to offensive actions. There is a bit of anxiety about that. But today there is definitely no direct military threat, “he said. V. Rupšys after a meeting with President Gitanas Nausėda LRT on Tuesday.
The Lithuanian Armed Forces commander also stressed the need to realize that Russia and Belarus had, have and will have joint exercises, therefore, according to him, Lithuania must be prepared for any scenario.
“The point is that both in the past and now and in the future, they will have joint exercises, joint exercises are really a concern because the scenarios are offensive threats, so we must look at our capacity development, joint plans with our allies and be anyone when the case is ready, ”he said.
The exercise, which began on Monday, has been carried out in Belarus for more than a month after protests over the August presidential election, which was declared the winner by autocrat Lukashenko. The opposition and the West consider the election rigged.
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