Beijing, 22 Jan (Xinhua) -- The Russian Defense Ministry said on 21 January that the Russian side has sent two divisions operating the S-400 air defense missile system to Belarus to test the readiness of the "Russian-Belarusian unified regional air defense system" and to participate in joint military exercises.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that the Russian air defense forces controlled two divisions of the S-400 and the air defense detachment of the Eastern Military District to the Khabarovsk Territory in the Far East, where the equipment was loaded into a flat car and transported by rail to Belarus.
This is the scene of the Russian-Belarusian "West-2021" joint strategic exercise filmed in brest Oblast, Belarus, on September 12, 2021. (Xinhua News Agency, photo by RenKov)
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin summoned dozens of foreign military attaches stationed in Moscow on the 18th to report on the joint military exercise between Russia and Belarus. Fomin said the Russians would send 12 Su-35S fighters, two divisions operating S-400s and a battalion operating the Armor air defense system.
The state test of the Air Defense System of the Russian-Belarusian Unified Region will be carried out in two phases. The first phase lasts until 9 February, and Russian troops will be deployed to the territory of Belarus as planned, organizing the protection of important state and army facilities and checking whether air defense forces can cover the critical infrastructure of Belarus. The second phase, which runs from February 10 to February 20, will include joint military exercises aimed at rehearsing defensive operations to suppress and repel external aggressive forces, combat terrorism, and protect the interests of allies.
The Russian Defense Ministry did not specify the specific number of participants in the exercise, saying only that the scale of personnel and equipment participating in the exercise would not exceed the relevant documents adopted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Vienna, Austria in 2011.
Ships lined up for Navy Day celebrations in St. Petersburg, Russia, on July 26, 2020. (Xinhua News Agency, photo by Mo Jinna)
The Russian Ministry of Defense said on the 20th that the Russian Navy will carry out military exercises in many parts of the world from this month, with more than 140 warships and 60 warplanes participating. The exercise will continue until February and will cover the Mediterranean, northeastern Atlantic and Pacific regions.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the exercises were aimed at safeguarding Russia's national interests in global waters and countering threats against the Russian Federation.
Western countries have recently repeatedly exaggerated Russia's intention to "invade" by massing heavy troops in the border area with Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly stressed that the deterioration of the situation in Russia and Ukraine is due to the continuous erosion of Russia's security space by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on the 20th that Western countries covered up their own preparations for "military provocative actions" with rumors that "Russia is about to invade Ukraine", and the united States and Britain provided weapons to Ukraine confirmed Russia's concerns. (Xuelin Bao)