Updated at 17:53,27-03-2024

Belarusian, Russian military to stage two joint army exercises in March

BELTA

Belarusian, Russian military to stage two joint army exercises in March
An archive photo
MOSCOW, 9 March (BelTA) – Two Belarusian-Russian tactical exercises involving the special operations forces of the Belarusian army and the airborne forces of the Russian army will take place in March, BelTA learned from the Russian Defense Ministry website.

The army exercises will take place in the Polivno exercise area in Russia's Ulyanovsk Oblast and the Osipovichsky exercise area in Minsk Oblast in March, the source said.

This year's first Belarusian-Russian joint army exercise will take place in Russia's Ulyanovsk Oblast on 9-20 March and will focus on peacemaking operations.

Units of the Special Operations Forces of the Belarusian army are expected to arrive on 9 March for the sake of participating in the exercise. Once Belarusian and Russian military personnel are combined into a joint unit, the unit will have to spend one week in combat shakedown. The active phase of the exercise will take place on 16-19 March, the Russian Federation Defense Ministry specified.

The exercise will involve a total of over 400 military personnel and about 100 units of combat hardware and special hardware of the Ulyanovsk-based unit of the Russian army and over 80 personnel of the Brest-based air assault unit of the Special Operations Forces of the Belarusian army. Two Mi-24 attack helicopters and six Mi-8AMTSh transport and combat helicopters will be deployed in the course of the exercise.

Another Belarusian-Russian tactical exercise will take place simultaneously in the Osipovichsky exercise area in Minsk Oblast on 15-27 March. After one week of combat shakedown Belarusian and Russian paratroopers will work together as a reinforced paratrooper battalion to practice defensive and offensive actions in daytime and nighttime.

The Russian army will be represented by about 90 military of the Pskov Guards Air Assault Division while the Special Operations Forces of the Belarusian army will be represented by over 400 military personnel and about 100 units of combat hardware and special hardware of the Vitebsk Independent Guards Airborne Force.