The troops of the Eastern Military District (VVO) of the Russian Federation, as part of the verification of the reaction forces of the Union State, were transferred to a distance of up to 10 thousand km. This was announced on Tuesday, February 1, by the head of the Russian Defense Ministry, Sergei Shoigu.
"The first stage of verification is currently underway. The troops have been transferred to a distance of up to 10 thousand km, including aviation units and military units of air defense. <...>...the protection and defense of state and military facilities, the state border in the airspace has been organized within the framework of the Unified Regional Air Defense System of Belarus and Russia," the minister said during a conference call.
A day earlier, the Air Defense units began deploying mobile field control points at landfills in Belarus. The troops carried out engineering work, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The verification of the forces of the Union State takes place in two stages. At the first (until February 9) stage, they will relocate and create groups of troops on the territory of Belarus. On the second (from February 10 to 20), the joint exercises "Allied Determination – 2022" will be held.
On January 27, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Belarus, Major General Viktor Gulevich, said that the joint Belarusian-Russian exercises "Allied Resolve - 2022" are purely defensive in nature. According to him, the purpose of the inspection is to increase the training of the Armed Forces.
On the same day, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Russian Su–35S fighters had completed relocation in Belarus as part of the Allied Resolve-2022 exercises. After arriving in Belarus, the fighter crews will take up combat duty for air defense.
On November 4, a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State was held. The Presidents of the Russian Federation and Belarus, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko, discussed issues of further bilateral cooperation, and also signed an integration decree approving 28 union programs.
The Treaty on the Establishment of the Union State between Russia and Belarus entered into force on January 26, 2000.
