The very first Russian troopers to get aspect in a new joint pressure with Belarusian troops have arrived in Belarus, Minsk’s defence ministry mentioned on Saturday.
“The very first convoys of Russian servicemen from the regional pressure team have arrived in Belarus,” the ministry mentioned, incorporating that their mission was “completely to bolster the defense and defence of the border”.
Photographs from the ministry confirmed troopers welcomed by girls putting on standard costumes and handing out bread and salt.
Previous Monday the chief of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko claimed Ukraine was plotting to assault his nation and introduced a joint pressure with Moscow.
Lukashenko accused Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine of coaching Belarusian radicals “to have out sabotage, terrorist assaults and to organise a army mutiny in the nation”.
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The deployment elevated fears that Belarusian troops could be part of Russian forces in their offensive in Ukraine.
Minsk mentioned Tuesday that the contingent was “purely defensive”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of “striving to immediately attract Belarus into this war” at a G7 conference on Tuesday.
Zelensky named for an global observers mission to be put on the Ukraine-Belarus border.
Lukashenko is an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and authorized Belarusian territory to be utilised by Moscow’s troops to start a army procedure versus Kyiv in February.
But Belarusian armed forces have up to now not taken aspect in the offensive.
Belarus depends economically and politically on its critical ally Russia.
