On March 9, Russian-Belarusian tactical exercises will start in the Ulyanovsk region.
The maneuvers will last until March 20 at the Polyvno training ground.
As reported on the website of the Russian Defense Ministry, the exercises are devoted to peacekeeping topics.
After arriving at the training ground of the Belarusian Special Operations Forces (MTR), a consolidated unit of Russian and Belarusian paratroopers will be formed and its combat coordination will begin.
The active phase of the maneuvers is scheduled for March 16-19.
More than 400 soldiers and officers from the Russian side, as well as more than 80 servicemen of a separate guards airborne assault unit of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, will take part in the training operation.
In addition, about 100 units of military and special equipment, 2 Mi-24 attack helicopters and 6 Mi-8AMTSh transport and combat helicopters of the Central Military District will be involved in the maneuvers.
Helicopter Mi-24
RIA News
© Victor Tolochko
Almost simultaneously, from March 15 to March 27, joint Russian-Belarusian exercises of the Russian Airborne Forces and the Special Operations Forces of the Belarusian Armed Forces will be held at the Osipovichsky training ground in the Minsk region.
As specified in the Russian Ministry of Defense, in this case, the military coordination of the military units of the two countries will also take about a week.
After that, the paratroopers will work out joint special actions of the reinforced parachute battalion in defense and offensive, day and night.
Russia will send about 90 servicemen of the Black Sea Guards Airborne Assault Regiment of the Pskov Guards Airborne Force to participate in these maneuvers; from Belarus, more than 400 servicemen and about 100 units of military and special equipment of the Vitebsk Separate Guards Airborne Force will be involved in the exercises.
As military expert Yuri Knutov noted in the RT commentary, since the upcoming exercises are tactical, their scale is relatively small.
“However, the most mobile forces participate in them, those units that must solve some problem in a matter of hours.
For example, if the enemy is on the territory of Belarus or Russia, then the Airborne Forces of the Russian Federation and the MTR of the Armed Forces of Belarus must immediately react and stop the violation of the borders.
Such exercises not only improve the combat training of the military, but also work to forestall threats.
Seeing the defense coherence of Russia and Belarus, potential adversaries will not dare to attack, ”the expert noted.
Such joint exercises are not uncommon for Russia and Belarus.
“It's another matter that each time the degree of trust and interaction grows.
This suggests that the integration of Belarus and Russia in these issues is increasing, ”Knutov added.
Military expert Alexei Leonkov adheres to a similar point of view.
Speaking about the role of amphibious exercises for the defense capabilities of countries, the expert recalled that the Airborne Forces of the Russian Federation and the MTR of the Armed Forces of Belarus belong to the rapid reaction units.
"Given that Belarus and Russia have created the Union State, this kind of exercise is especially important, since the armies of both countries must quickly interact," the expert explained in an interview with RT.
A series of exercises
Earlier, the heads of the defense departments of Russia and Belarus, Sergei Shoigu and Viktor Khrenin, discussed a plan for joint defense measures for 2021.
The ministers' talks took place in Moscow.
As noted by the head of the Russian Ministry of Defense Sergei Shoigu, the largest joint exercise will be "West -2021".
In addition to the Russian-Belarusian exercises, the plans of Minsk and Moscow include defense measures along the lines of the SCO, the CIS and the CSTO.
Heads of defense departments of Russia and Belarus Sergei Shoigu and Viktor Khrenin
© Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Shoigu called the cooperation between Moscow and Minsk on a joint air defense system a key issue.
The heads of the defense departments of the countries of the Union State agreed to create three combat training centers for the joint training of military personnel.
The centers will operate on the territory of Russia in the Nizhny Novgorod and Kaliningrad regions, and in Belarus - in the Grodno region.
Recall that the plans to hold joint exercises with Russia "West-2021" this year in February were announced by the head of the Department of International Military Cooperation of the Ministry of Defense of Belarus, Oleg Voinov.
The announcement was made during a briefing for military attachés accredited by the Ministry of Defense of Belarus.
Voinov said that the exercises will be held both on Russian and Belarusian territory.
The maneuvers are scheduled for September and will be led by the chiefs of the General Staff of both countries.
The scenario of the exercise will be based on one of the options for the escalation of the military-political situation "around conditional countries."
Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin
RIA News
© Alexey Danichev
Russia and Belarus maintain defense cooperation at a very high level.
As Russian President Vladimir Putin noted in September 2020, the parties have a defense plan that will be implemented.
“During the year, we - both on the territory of Belarus and on the territory of Russia - almost every month provide for some kind of events,” the Russian leader emphasized during negotiations with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.
Geopolitical signal
In October 2020, Russia and Belarus signed a decree on joint protection of the external border of the Union State in the airspace.
The document was signed at a joint collegium of the defense departments of the two countries.
Speaking at the collegium, Sergei Shoigu emphasized that NATO's forward presence continues to build up on the western borders of the Union State and a "turbulent situation" remains.
“Given the current military-political situation in the region, as well as new challenges and threats, primarily from international terrorism, the Russian Ministry of Defense considers ensuring the military security of the Union State among its priority tasks,” added Shoigu.
Servicemen during the exercises "Slavic Brotherhood - 2020"
RIA News
© Victor Tolochko
In the same month, the command-staff exercises under the CSTO "Indestructible Brotherhood" were held on the territory of Belarus.
A month earlier, the Slavic Brotherhood joint tactical exercises between Russia and Belarus were held at the Belarusian Brestsky training ground.
As the Russian Ministry of Defense clarified then, more than 800 servicemen and about 170 pieces of equipment were involved in the maneuvers in total.
The exercises were devoted to counter-terrorism topics.
According to experts, the defense partnership between Russia and Belarus is beneficial to both countries.
“Belarus alone is unlikely to be able to argue with NATO, therefore, it is in its interests to cooperate with Russia.
For Moscow, the issues of defensive strengthening of Belarus have come to the fore, since the North Atlantic Alliance is concentrating its activity at our western borders, and its representatives do not even exclude military actions in the Kaliningrad region, ”said Alexey Leonkov.
According to the expert, joint exercises are being conducted so that the armies operate in a single information loop.
“Such coordination of efforts is necessary not only for Moscow, but also for Minsk,” the expert added.
Yuri Knutov adheres to a similar point of view.
"The defense partnership between Russia and Belarus gives the effect of synergy, cooperation enhances the defense capabilities of both countries," the expert explained.
It is defense interaction that is the most advanced form of integration between the two countries, which can serve as an example for other spheres, Yuri Knutov believes.
At the same time, the joint exercises, which are regularly conducted by Russia and Belarus, are a powerful political signal for NATO and the Western countries, the expert is sure.
“The exercises of the North Atlantic Alliance are constantly held near the borders of Russia and Belarus.
The military bloc does not hide its plans to consolidate its positions at the Russian and Belarusian borders.
Under these conditions, Moscow and Minsk should all the more clearly declare their readiness and ability to jointly resist external threats - such exercises have, in addition to the military, an important geopolitical role, ”summed up Yuri Knutov.