MOSCOW, Feb 14 - RIA Novosti. Russia's military exercises will be completed as planned, there are no military preparations, said Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev.
Joint Belarusian-Russian exercises began last Thursday at the combined arms ranges of the Belarusian armed forces. They mark the second stage of the verification of the reaction forces of the Union State, which will last until February 20. The goal is to work out the reflection of external aggression and terrorist attacks. Minsk has repeatedly denied information about alleged plans to attack Ukraine from Belarusian territory and other fabrications around Russian-Belarusian military exercises. According to the assurances of Belarus and Russia, the joint exercises are defensive in nature and pose no threat to anyone.
The West accuses Russia of plans to allegedly escalate the situation around Ukraine. Moscow categorically denies this and constantly states that they do not threaten anyone with anything, and all such statements are used as an excuse to place more NATO military equipment near the Russian borders. As Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier, Russia does not create any reasons for a conflict situation around Ukraine. According to him, Russia does not rule out that the hysteria around Ukraine promoted by the West is aimed at covering Kiev's line of sabotage of the Minsk agreements on Donbass.
