Russian S-400 battalion arrives in Belarus for joint drills

A Russian battalion of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems has arrived at the training ground in the Brest region in southwestern Belarus in an inspection of the Union State’s Response Force, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Friday.

"A battalion of S-400 ‘Triumf’ surface-to-air missile systems of the Eastern Military District’s Air Force and Air Defense Army involved in an inspection of the Union State’s Response Force has arrived at the training ground in the Brest region in the Republic of Belarus," the ministry said in a statement.

The Russian air defense troops arrived in Belarus from the Khabarovsk Region. During the drills, the Russian teams of S-400 air defense systems will equip and camouflage launch sites and command posts, following which they will assume combat posture as part of the Russia-Belarus integrated regional air defense system, the ministry specified.

The inspection of the Russia-Belarus Union State’s Response Force will run in two stages. At the first stage before February 9, the Belarusian and Russian militaries will practice deploying troops and creating task forces in dangerous directions on the territory of Belarus within a short period of time. During this stage, the troops will practice protecting and defending vital state and military facilities and protecting the state border in the airspace, and checking the preparedness and capability of air defense quick reaction alert forces for accomplishing the tasks of shielding vital facilities.

At the second stage of the inspection that will run on February 10-20, the Union Resolve 2022 joint drills will be held, in which the troops will practice fighting and repelling external aggression, countering terrorism, and protecting the interests of the Union State.

As the Russian Defense Ministry reported, during the joint drills, the troops will practice reinforcing the state border in potential areas of the illegal penetration of armed gangs into the territory of Belarus and shutting down channels of the supply of arms, munitions and other means that can be used for destabilizing the situation in the country, eliminating outlawed armed gangs and enemy subversive and reconnaissance groups.

The troops will practice their joint operations at the Domanovsky, Gozhsky, Obuz-Lesnovsky, Brestsky and Osipovichsky training grounds. The Baranovichi, Luninets, Lida, and Machulishchi airfields will also be involved in the drills.