Belarus, Russia Start Joint Air Force Exercise - Defense Ministry

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th January, 2023) Belarus and Russia have started a joint flight and tactical exercise of aviation units in the regional group of troops to improve their operational compatibility, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said on Monday.

"Today, a joint tactical flight exercise of aviation units of the Belarusian and Russian armed forces, which are part of the aviation component of the regional group of troops, started," the ministry said in the statement.

The key objective of the exercise is to increase interoperability of the forces in combat training tasks, the ministry added. A unit of the Russian aerospace forces is taking part in the drills.

"A great number of tasks is scheduled to be practiced during the exercise. These include conducting aerial reconnaissance, joint patrolling of the airspace along the state border, providing air support for groups of troops, landing of tactical airborne troops, cargo delivery and evacuation of wounded," the statement read.

All air bases of the Belarusian air and air defense forces are in use during the drills, according to the Belarusian Defense Ministry.

The joint exercise of Russia and Belarus will last through February 1.

Earlier in January, Belarusian Deputy Defense Minister Andrei Juk said that both countries would continue to train their armed forces, and this tactical flight exercise would be followed by various staff training and a large-scale joint exercise "Sword of the Union 2023."

Minsk has repeatedly stated that tasks of the Russia-Belarus regional group of troops are purely defensive.