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Belarusian military practise operations against saboteurs, militant groups

"The exercise involves about 50 vehicles and 300 officers and men," the Belarusian Defense Ministry said

Belarusian military exercise (archive) EPA/TATYANA ZENKOVICH

Belarusian military exercise (archive)

© EPA/TATYANA ZENKOVICH

MINSK, January 28. /TASS/. Belarus is holding a military exercise to practise operations against saboteurs and illegal armed groups.

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NATO pulling heavy weapons closer to Belarusian border — Belarus defense ministry

"The exercise involves about 50 vehicles and 300 officers and men," the Belarusian Defense Ministry said.

The training is underway at grounds in the Brest Region bordering on Poland and Ukraine, and also near the capital Minsk and Osipovichi, as well as in the Grodno Region bordering on Poland and Lithuania, and in the Vitebsk Region bordering on Latvia.

Earlier, the Defense Ministry said that "alongside the measures to increase the strength of the air component of NATO forces in the Baltic countries, responsible for patrolling air space, the alliance has been systematically building up military contingents armed with heavy weapons near the Belarusian border."

"Irrespective of the geopolitical pre-requisites for taking this decision by our foreign partners, Belarus cannot afford to ignore changes in the military-political situation in the region fraught with extra risks, challenges and threats to the military security of the state," the Defense Ministry said, adding that the country’s military-political leadership took those aspects into account in drafting the armed forces’ training schedule for this year.

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