Belarus said it would activate all of its air force bases, air force training grounds, and air defense forces for the drills.
Russia and Belarus began joint air force exercises on Monday, amid concern Minsk may start participating in the conflict in Ukraine directly, as Kyiv’s intelligence said Russia is planning a renewed war push in 2023.
The two countries are conducting joint air force drills from January 16 to February 1, the Belarusian defense ministry said. There are growing fears Russian President Vladimir Putin could lobby his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, to join the conflict.
Belarus said it would activate all of its air force bases, air force training grounds and air defense forces for the drills, with joint air patrols planned along the Belarusian border. Belarus borders Russia and Ukraine.
Although Minsk has maintained that the drills are purely defensive, and that it seeks « to increase interoperability in the joint performance of combat training tasks, » Ukrainian officials have warned residents that air raid warnings are likely to increase as a result of the exercises.
