Joint military aviation drills involving Belarusian and Russian forces are underway, the Belarusian defense ministry said in a press release Monday. “Today, a joint tactical flight exercise of the aviation units of the armed forces of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation, which are part of the aviation component of the regional grouping of troops, has started,” reads the statement. “To ensure the conduct of the exercise, all airfields and ranges of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus are involved,” it added. Earlier this month, the Belarusian Ministry of Defense announced that Minsk and Moscow were planning to hold joint aviation drills from January 16 to February 1. In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the two countries would continue joint drills and other combat training measures, which would involve the joint group of forces of the so-called “Union State,” according to Russian state news agency TASS.

Source: Egypt Independent January 16, 2023 23:15 UTC