Russia, Belarus begin active phase of military drills

The West is taking these drills to heart due to the Ukrainian crisis. They are viewed exclusively as part of the general accumulation of forces around Ukraine and as an additional front for ‘an invasion’. In recent years, Western analysts were calling Belarus Russia’s springboard for an attack on the Baltics and then against Ukraine. Now Moscow, apparently, decided to play along with these phobias amid the tense situation around Ukraine and talks on security guarantees, Russian International Affairs Council expert (RIAC) Alexander Yermakov thinks.

For instance, Russia’s S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems may potentially limit NATO’s capabilities to provide logistics support to Ukraine in the event of a conflict, and strike weapons, including modern multirole fighter aircraft may also restrain NATO members, according to Research Fellow at the Center for International Security, Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences Dmitry Stefanovich. He does not rule out that after the drills are over some Russian armaments and military equipment will remain in Belarus. The expert notes that Western concerns over the possible deployment of Russian nukes to Belarus are rather sincere given that the rhetoric of the Belarusian leadership facilitates it. Yet, the Russian side does not confirm such intentions.