In Russian training centers, they will study tactical techniques tested during the Ukrainian campaign
Assault operations, fighting in the city and the tactics of using UAVs are the main things that the Belarusian military can learn from their Russian colleagues, experts interviewed by Izvestia believe. In addition, new methods of air defense, counter-battery warfare and the use of electronic warfare may be important. On January 15, the Belarusian Defense Ministry announced that the country's military would be trained in Russia, and the emphasis would be on the experience of a special operation against Kiev. No one in the world has the skills that Russian specialists who have passed their military training possess, and their spread will significantly increase the combat capability of the Belarusian troops, experts believe.
Share your experience
The Russian military will pass on to their Belarusian colleagues the experience gained during their military operations in Ukraine. The Belarusian Defense Ministry announced the upcoming training on January 15. Those who complete this training will later retrain as instructors to train other units of the Belarusian army, the ministry said.
Conducting combat within the city limits, storming fortified areas and enemy strongholds is a separate military art that is acquired only during combat operations, expert Alexey Leonkov told Izvestia.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Ankov
Image source: iz.ru
— Everything that happens in the zone of a special military operation is the same combat experience that you will never get in the exercises, especially since the fighting is not easy, it is connected with both defense and assault. By passing on the experience to the Belarusian military, we create an environment at the training ground as close as possible to combat, and share the skills that we have acquired ourselves. It is clear that the training ground will not replace real combat operations, but in this way the Belarusian military personnel are still as close as possible to our level of combat training," he believes.
According to military expert Vladislav Shurygin, there are no aspects that could be neglected when training allied troops — everything is important.
— We get a completely new experience of combat operations in the area of our military operations. Infantrymen and stormtroopers have one, gunners have the second, tankers have the third, air defense experience is the fourth. Everything is completely unique here. There is nothing that should be passed on at any cost and neglected by others," the expert noted.
During their military training, Russian servicemen have learned how to destroy Western military equipment — American, German, Polish, said the associate professor of the Russian University of Economics. Plekhanova, Colonel Alexander Perendzhiev.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Ankov
Image source: iz.ru
— Our servicemen have always been distinguished by their combat readiness. The Belarusian military will be able to adopt the tactics of using unmanned aerial vehicles from ours and learn how to use anti—drone weapons," he said.
In addition, they will be able to learn how to more effectively conduct air defense, counter-battery warfare, use electronic warfare and such advanced means as guided bombs, UAVs "Cube", summed up Alexander Perendzhiev.
Joint maneuvers
The Russian and Belarusian military regularly conduct joint maneuvers. At the beginning of 2023, a joint tactical flight exercise of the aviation of Belarus and Russia took place. All airfields and training grounds of the Air Force and air defense forces of the Belarusian armed forces were involved.
One of the main events of joint combat training over the past year has been the operational and strategic exercises of the CSTO troops "Combat Brotherhood - 2023", which took place in September at six training grounds in Belarus. The maneuvers were attended by national contingents of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan — more than 2.5 thousand military personnel and more than 500 units of weapons and equipment.
Military personnel are practicing a key episode of the joint operational and strategic exercises of the CSTO troops "Combat Brotherhood - 2023"
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Victor Tolochko
In total, five exercises were held within the framework of the "Combat Brotherhood". Among them is "Interaction-2023", where the settlement of the crisis situation in the Eastern European region of the CSTO was worked out. And a number of exercises of specialized units: "Search-2023" (intelligence units); "Echelon-2023" (forces and means of material and technical support of the CSTO troops), "Barrier-2023" (joint formation of radiation, chemical and biological protection and medical support of the CSTO), "Rock-2023" (rescue divisions).
In September, large–scale bilateral operational exercises "Shield of the Union - 2023" took place on the territory of Russia. They are organized every two years.
In total, more than 150 different joint events were held during the year.
"Umbrella" for Minsk
Vladimir Putin said in March last year that Russia, at the request of Belarus, would deploy its non-strategic nuclear weapons in the republic, as the United States has been doing for a long time on the territory of its allies. By that time, Moscow had already handed over the Iskander-M tactical missile system to Minsk, capable of using missiles not only in conventional but also nuclear equipment, and also helped to convert some Belarusian aircraft for the possible use of nuclear weapons. Rocket scientists and pilots of the Union State have received appropriate training on the territory of Russia.
Iskander-M tactical missile systems
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Sergey Orlov
At the same time, Russia retains control over nuclear weapons deployed on the territory of Belarus, which is in line with international obligations.
In general, the two countries have been actively increasing military cooperation in recent years. In particular, Moscow supplies Minsk with Su-30SM multi-purpose fighters. At the end of 2022, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko announced the deployment of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft systems and Iskander tactical missile systems. At the same time, three Russian supersonic MiG-31K interceptor fighters capable of carrying Kinzhal hypersonic aeroballistic missiles arrived in Belarus.
Julia Leonova
Adrey Fedorov