It's hard not to worry about kyiv.
This Wednesday, Belarus - an ally of Russia and a country bordering Ukraine - announced that it had launched a "surprise" military exercise to test the reaction capacities of its army.
The military units will work on their ability to “go on alert, move to predetermined areas and do combat training,” the Belarusian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
"The purpose of this test is to assess the readiness and ability of staff to respond quickly to a possible crisis," he added, calling the exercise a "surprise."
The ministry released photos showing columns of vehicles, including tanks, driving down a road.
Acts of sabotage in Belarus
These maneuvers should be scrutinized by kyiv, which has repeatedly said that it suspects Belarus of considering sending troops to Ukraine to support Russia's offensive there.
The country, ruled with an iron fist for nearly 30 years by Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, serves as a rear and logistical base for Moscow's offensive against Ukraine.
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A sign, however, that this indirect participation in the conflict is not unanimous in Belarus, acts of sabotage, in particular on the railways, have been taking place there for two months.
Several suspects have been arrested.
In 2020, Belarus was shaken by a historic protest movement after the re-election deemed fraudulent by Alexander Lukashenko, who repressed it without mercy.
