The first Russian infantrymen participating in a new joint force with Belarusian troops have arrived in Belarus, the Minsk Defense Ministry said on Saturday.
“The first convoys of Russian servicemen of the regional working group organization arrived in Belarus,” the ministry said, adding that its project was “exclusively for border coverage and defense. “
Ministry footage showed infantrymen being greeted by women dressed in classic costumes and distributing bread and salt.
Last Monday, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko claimed that Ukraine plans to attack his country and announced a joint force with Moscow.
Lukashenko accused Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine of Belarusian radicals “of engaging in sabotage, terrorist attacks and organizing an army mutiny in the country. “
The deployment raised fears that Belarusian troops could join Russian forces in their offensive in Ukraine.
Minsk said Tuesday that the contingent was “purely defensive. “
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of “trying to drag Belarus into this war” at a G7 assembly on Tuesday.
Zelensky called for an observer project to be placed on the border between Ukraine and Belarus.
Lukashenko is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s best friend and used Belarusian territory through Moscow troops to launch an army operation against Kyiv in February.
But the Belarusian armed forces have not participated in the offensive.
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Belarus is financially and politically dependent on its key ally, Russia.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed. )
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