Minsk. January 30th. INTERFAX - The joint Russian-Belarusian exercise "Allied Resolve - 2022" is an internal matter of Belarus and Russia and does not pose a threat to third countries, the Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) said Stanislav Zas.
"The exercises that will begin on the territory of Belarus and Russia are purely defensive in nature. Is it worth paying attention to all sorts of assessments that are expressed? This is an internal matter of Belarus and Russia, which are conducting this exercise on their territory," Zas said on the STV TV channel on Sunday.
At the same time, he noted, it is necessary to take into account the wariness and fears of Western countries. "We just need to add transparency and openness within the framework of the exercises. Please look, here is our plan. This will increase confidence and, perhaps, remove some concerns," Zas believes.
According to him, concerns about Russia's aggressive intentions towards Ukraine are absolutely groundless. "Nobody wants war. Neither Russia nor other countries in this region want it. We don't need it. Of course, the risks of provocations are very high. This should also be taken into account and avoided," the CSTO Secretary General stressed.
As reported, Russia and Belarus are checking the reaction forces of the Union State. At the first stage - until February 9 - the redeployment and creation of groups of troops is carried out. At the second stage - from February 10 to 20 - a joint exercise "Allied Resolve - 2022" will be held.
The exercises will involve almost all the Armed Forces of Belarus, as well as parts of the Eastern Military District, the Aerospace Forces and the Airborne Troops of Russia.
On January 29, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the arrival of the Pantsir-S division of short-range air defense systems in Belarus.
On January 21, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced the beginning of the transfer of two divisions of long-range S-400 Triumph air defense systems to Belarus by rail. They will take up combat training duty as part of the unified regional air defense system of Russia and Belarus, the Russian military said.
On January 27, Russia completed the relocation of Su-35 fighters from the Far East to Belarus. Earlier, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said that Russia is sending 12 Su-35 fighters to Belarus for maneuvers.
In Belarus, the exercise will involve five military ranges ("Domanovsky", "Gozhsky", "Obuz-Lesnovsky", "Brest" and "Osipovichi", a number of terrain areas and four airfields ("Baranovichi", "Luninets", "Lida" and "Machulishchi").
The maneuvers are taking place against the backdrop of a crisis in relations between Russia and NATO.