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Lukashenko (2nd from left) during his meeting with top military officials at the Obus-Lesnovsky training area
Photo: Andrei Stasevich / dpa
Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko has inspected the joint Russian-Belarusian force in the country.
The unit's training ground is near the town of Baranavichy in the western part of the country.
The joint task force set up in autumn 2022 is officially used to protect the external borders of the Russian-Belarusian Union - especially in the west, i.e. on Belarusian territory.
The association also includes 9,000 Russian soldiers, who are thus permanently stationed on Belarusian territory.
The association is considered a possible spearhead for a new attack on Ukraine.
The Belarusian Ministry of Defense has documented the arrival of larger armored units with pictures in the past few days.
Belarus is closely allied with Russia.
Ruler Alexander Lukashenko, who is no longer recognized as president in the West, is militarily, politically and economically dependent on the Kremlin.
At the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Belarus made its territory available to Russian units.
However, Belarusian soldiers have not yet fought in the war.
aeh/dpa