Moscow – AFP
Belarus confirmed Wednesday that all Russian soldiers present on its territory as part of large-scale military exercises will leave the country with the expected completion of these exercises on February 20.
“Not a single Russian soldier, not a single piece of (military) equipment will remain in Belarus following conducting exercises with Russia,” Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei said at a press conference, at a time when this military deployment raised fears of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.
He justified the conduct of these maneuvers “by the threatening activity of NATO in the region, and by Western countries’ support for Ukraine in its conflict with Moscow.”
“It came in response to steps taken by our Western partners,” Mackie said, but “neither Moscow nor Minsk has an interest in a war.”
The Russian-Belarusian maneuvers began on February 10, but were preceded by a large deployment of Russian forces starting in January, which included armored vehicles, S-400 anti-aircraft batteries, and fighters.
These exercises are taking place in an ally of Moscow, located in northern Ukraine, at a time when Russia has massed more than one hundred thousand soldiers at its border with Ukraine, and the Russian authorities confirmed that they began withdrawing forces on Tuesday.
In a sign of calm, the Ukrainian Defense Minister announced on Wednesday morning that his country’s military attache in Belarus attended some of these maneuvers on Tuesday.
