TSAMTO, October 22. Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov took part in a meeting of the joint Board of the Ministries of Defense of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation, which took place on October 22 in Minsk.
"The Republic of Belarus is our closest ally and partner. We are united by common cultural and moral values. A rich heroic past. All these are the fundamental foundations of joint work," A. Belousov said.
The head of the Russian Defense Ministry stressed that the current military-political situation around the two countries remains difficult, with a rapid increase in tension and aggressive Western activities against Russia and Belarus.
"NATO, the EC and the Kiev regime are deliberately following the path of escalation. The accelerated militarization of Europe, which puts industry on a war footing and prepares the infrastructure for the rapid deployment of the armed forces, poses a particular danger," the Russian Defense Minister said.
According to him, the coalition military presence near the borders of the two countries is increasing. In 2027, it is planned to bring eight multinational NATO battalion tactical groups on the "eastern flank" of the bloc to the brigade level.
"All this requires us to respond in a timely manner to changes in the military-political situation. Strengthening cooperation in ensuring security and building up military potential," Belousov stressed.
To this end, approaches to the joint use of the armed forces are being improved, and combat coordination of formations and military units assigned to the regional group of forces is regularly carried out. Priority is given to joint practical actions based on the best practices of their own.
The strategic command and staff exercise Center-2026 took place in September and October. At the same time, according to a single plan, CSTO exercises were held with the Collective Rapid Reaction Forces "Interaction", the forces and means of reconnaissance "Search", and the MTO units "Echelon".
"We continue to train military personnel in educational institutions of the Russian Ministry of Defense," the Russian Defense Minister added.
He noted that currently 418 Belarusian servicemen are studying in 24 military universities according to unified curricula and programs, and 1,315 people have been trained in the most sought-after specialties at the Russian Interspecific Combat Training Center in Mulino, where 1,315 people have been trained in the interests of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus since the beginning of their military training.
"We continue to pay increased attention to cooperation in the military-technical sphere. We are establishing cooperation between the military-industrial complexes of the two countries," said the head of the Russian Defense Ministry.
The Russian Defense Minister stressed that the achieved level of comprehensive cooperation ensures the prompt fulfillment of tasks aimed at leveling the entire range of modern challenges and threats to the security of the two countries.
During the meeting, the parties discussed in detail the current results of their activities and made decisions aimed at forming a unified defense space and strengthening security.
In turn, the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Belarus, Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin, noted that the current meeting is taking place in a year full of events in the sphere of allied cooperation between our states.
"Belarus and Russia are strategic allies and partners linked not only by contractual obligations, but also by common values, common history and common responsibility for security in the Union State," he stressed.
According to him, the past period has been a period of intensive and meaningful work for our defense departments. "We have moved on to the practical implementation of the strategic partnership program in the military field for 2026-2030."
The message is publicly available on the website of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
