Belarus, Russia start planning joint exercise

In pursuance of the decision of the presidents of Belarus and Russia, the General Staffs of the Armed Forces of the two countries have begun planning a joint combat readiness inspection of the Union State response forces, BelTA learned from the Defense Ministry.

On 17 January, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Belarus approved the plan of the forthcoming joint exercise. It will involve a number of military formations and units of the Armed Forces of Belarus and Russia. The main goal is to assess combat readiness of the armed forces to neutralize threats on the borders of the Union State.

The exercise will practice deploying over long distances and a number of combat tasks to protect the state border from land and air, to deal with special operations forces and illegal armed formations, to secure and hold positions and to defeat the enemy. The capabilities of the transport and logistics system to ensure the transportation of troops (forces) will be evaluated.

The exercise will test the ability of military command bodies and troops (forces) to respond promptly to modern challenges to the military security of the Union State.