Trainloads of Russian troops arrive in Belarus
ROMAN PETRENKO — SATURDAY, 15 OCTOBER 2022, 12:55
Trains carrying Russian servicemen, who are part of [the joint Russian-Belarusian] regional grouping of troops, have arrived in the Republic of Belarus.
Source: the Ministry of Defence of Belarus on Telegram
Details: According to the Belarusian Defence Ministry, the invaders "were warmly welcomed" in Belarus "with bread and salt" [a traditional way of welcoming guests].
The ministry claims that the decision to create a regional grouping of troops was made and is being implemented "in the interests of strengthening the protection and defence of the border of the Union State [an organisation aiming to deepen the relationship between Russia and Belarus through integration in economic and defence policy – ed.]."
Quote: "This decision has been dictated by the continuous activity in the areas bordering us."
Background:
- On 10 October, Alexander Lukashenko announced that the Russian Federation and Belarus had agreed on the deployment of a joint regional grouping of troops, and "more than one thousand" Russian troops should be arriving in Belarus.
- On 11 October, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stated that Russia is trying to directly draw Belarus into the war, and as a pretext for this, some kind of provocation involving an alleged attack on Ukraine may be organised.
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