Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced Monday, January 17 to plan new joint maneuvers with Russia in February, denouncing a reinforcement of the military deployments of his neighbors and NATO.
“
We planned to organize these exercises in February.
Set the exact date and let it be known, that we are not blamed for bringing in troops unannounced and almost going to war
,” Alexander Lukashenko ordered during a meeting with officials from the Ministry of defense.
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According to the Belarusian president, these maneuvers were decided in December 2021 with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, but their date had not yet been announced.
He did not specify how many soldiers will participate.
"
These should be normal exercises aimed at developing a precise plan in the event of a confrontation with forces coming from the West
," added Alexander Lukashenko in a video broadcast on a Telegram channel linked to the Belarusian presidency.
They will be baptized "
Determination of the union 2022
", a reference to the Russian-Belarusian alliance.
“An escalation of military potential at the border”
Alexander Lukashenko justified these exercises by the reinforcement of the NATO system in Poland and in the Baltic countries, on the borders of his country, as well as by the situation in Ukraine. “
Warsaw has asked NATO to deploy a multi-echelon logistic and technical support system. As soldiers, we immediately wonder why. It means they are preparing for something serious, at least in the long term
,” he continued.
He also accused Ukraine of "
continuing to build up its forces
" on the outskirts of Belarus.
"
The situation is such that there is an escalation of military potential on the border
," said Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Russia who regularly presents his country as a bulwark of the Kremlin against Westerners.
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Tensions have risen steadily in recent weeks between Russia and the West, who accuse Moscow of having massed troops in anticipation of an attack on Ukraine.
Moscow denies any bellicose intentions and in return denounces the strengthening of NATO on its borders and the plan to integrate Ukraine and Georgia into it, which it considers to be part of its sphere of influence.
