Russian troops from the Eastern Military District and the Armed Forces of Belarus have started doing joint combat coordination on training grounds in the country, which is widely known as Europe’s last dictatorship.

The joint exercises are officially part of the first stage of testing the Union State’s response forces, according to a statement by the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) issued earlier today (Wednesday, 2nd February).

The MoD said in a statement obtained by Newsflash: “Units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, together with units of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, are working out various methods and methods of combat operations in unified combat formations.

“During the stage of combat coordination at the training grounds, issues of defence and combating illegal armed formations are worked out.

“The goals of combat coordination are to achieve a high level of readiness of units for joint actions.”

They added: “Units and military units of the Eastern Military District of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, involved in the verification of the union state’s response forces, began combat coordination at the Domanovsky, Gozhsky, Obuz-Lesnovsky, Brest and Osipovichsky training grounds.

“With motorised rifle units, tank crews, infantry fighting vehicles, artillery crews, calculations of anti-tank guided missile systems, control classes are conducted on tactical and fire training, driving combat vehicles and other subjects of training.”

The ministry also said that the testing of the joint military capabilities took place in two stages.

“In the first stage, until 9th February, the redeployment and creation of groups of troops (forces) on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, the organisation of protection and defence of important state and military facilities, the protection of the State border in the airspace, the testing of the readiness and ability of air defence duty forces and means to perform tasks to cover important objects in the territory of the Republic of Belarus are carried out.

“During the second stage of the inspection, from 10th to 20th February, a joint “Union Resolve-2022” exercise will be held, within the framework of which issues of suppressing and repelling external aggression, as well as countering terrorism and protecting the interests of the Union State, will be worked out.

“During the exercise, measures will be taken to strengthen the protection of the State border to prevent the penetration of armed groups of militants, block the channels for the delivery of weapons and ammunition, as well as search, block, destroy illegal armed formations and sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the enemy.

“Practical actions of the troops (forces) will be held at the ‘Domanovsky’, ‘Gozhsky’, ‘Obuz-Lesnovsky’, ‘Brestsky’ and ‘Osipovichsky’ training grounds, as well as individual areas of the terrain located on the territory of the Republic of Belarus. It is planned to use the ‘Baranovichi’, ‘Luninets’, ‘Lida’ and ‘Machulishchi’ airfields.

Alexander Lukashenko has been the president of Belarus since 1994 and he is widely regarded as “Europe’s last dictator.”