The Belarusian-Russian exercises "Allied Resolve - 2022" confirmed the defensive nature of the military doctrine of the Union State, said SG Secretary of State Dmitry Mezentsev, who on Saturday observed the exercises at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, February 18, following talks in Moscow with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko, pointed to the defensive nature of the ongoing Russian-Belarusian exercises "Allied Resolve – 2022".

The Presidents of the Russian Federation and Belarus, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko, decided to continue checking the reaction forces of the Union State due to the situation in the Donbass. This was announced by Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin on Sunday, February 20.

At the final stage of the joint operational exercise of the armed forces of Belarus and Russia "Allied Resolve-2022", the communications troops of the Armed Forces of Belarus are returning to their permanent locations, the press service of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic reported on Saturday.

The General Staffs of Belarus and Russia will work out further steps to check the forces of the Union State, first of all they will be aimed at preventing war, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said.

Military attaches of 16 countries watched the final drawing of the tactical episode of the exercise "Allied Resolve-2022" on Saturday, the Ministry of Defense of Belarus reported.

Representatives of the armed forces of Latvia and Lithuania have arrived in Belarus to observe the Belarusian-Russian exercise "Allied Resolve-2022", the Ministry of Defense of Belarus reported on Saturday.

The exercises of the strategic deterrence forces, which will be held on Saturday, February 19, will be led by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. Vladimir Putin will be in the situation center, presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said, answering journalists' questions.

Tankers and gunners of the motorized rifle unit of the 49th Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District took part in a bilateral exercise at the Nikolo-Alexandrovsky training ground in the Stavropol Territory, the press service of the Southern Military District reports.

The first units of motorized rifle formations of the Southern Military District, stationed in the Chechen Republic and the Republic of Dagestan, arrived at the permanent deployment points after the completion of planned exercises in the Republic of Crimea. This was announced on Friday, February 18, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Military training of reservists in Russia is conducted annually. 2022 will not be an exception. By presidential decree, some reserve officers and soldiers will be temporarily summoned to the Armed Forces, state security agencies and the Federal Security Service.

The special services of the Russian Federation, despite the fact that there are not as many of them as in the United States, act very effectively, the president sees the real picture, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

NATO is expanding, and when Russia reduces the number of troops in Kaliningrad, no one will even say thank you, said Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused NATO of using "escalation for de-escalation" tactics against Russia and strengthening its military presence near the Russian borders, but confirmed Moscow's desire to continue negotiations on security guarantees.

Russia wants to reduce NATO's military and political presence on its borders, but will receive "even more NATO," Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at the Munich Security Conference.

Washington considers the continuation of the exercises of the Belarusian and Russian armies on the territory of Belarus to be evidence that Russia intends to invade the territory of Ukraine.

Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said that the neighboring countries of Belarus are "pumping" the most modern weapons and that Europe "smells very strongly of gunpowder."

The UN has received documents from Russia on crimes against civilians in the Donbas, the official representative of the UN Secretary General Stephane Dujarric said.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin believes that Russia is already ready to invade Ukraine in the near future. "I don't believe this is a bluff," he said in an interview with ABC in response to a question.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson believes that the current situation around Ukraine may result in the largest after the Second World War in Europe.