Belarus extends joint military drill with Russia, again

In Belarus, joint military exercises with Russia have been prolonged once again, now scheduled to last until April 17.

This is reported by Ukrinform with reference to the Belarusian Gayun monitoring nonprofit.

It is noted that this is yet another one-week prolongation of exercises, which have been going on at the Belarusian training grounds continuously since April 29, 2022. The total number of extensions has reached 50.

The group notes that although the training of Belarusian troops has been going on for almost a year, they remain unprepared for a potential offensive on Ukraine due to a lack of actual combat experience.

As reported with reference to the spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Andrii Demchenko, once the exercises on Belarusian soil are over, Russia is expected to withdraw half of its 4,000-strong contingent from the country. These troops are likely to be deployed in eastern Ukraine to take a direct part in the ongoing war.