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Russian ally Belarus announced snap military drills Tuesday in a move that has raised concerns that Minsk could be planning to join the war on Ukraine.
The Belarusian mission, designed to check the military’s combat readiness, is based on an analysis of Russia’s experience waging war in Ukraine, according to Belta.
The large-scale drills are unusual because they are “unexpected” for the military, said Aleksandr Volfovich, State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus, according to Belta. He explained that Belarus is running the drills in order to handle the war in Ukraine if the situation around the country’s borders “deteriorates.”