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The first Russian soldiers to form a new joint unit with the Belarusian army have arrived in Belarus, the Minsk Defense Ministry said on Saturday.
“The first convoys of Russian military personnel of the regional forces have arrived in Belarus,” the Defense Ministry said, adding that their mission was “specifically to strengthen the protection and defense of the border.”
Images from the ministry showed soldiers being greeted by women in traditional clothing and handing out bread and salt.
Last Monday, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko claimed Ukraine was plotting to attack his country and announced the creation of a joint force with Moscow.
Lukashenko accused Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine of training Belarusian militants “to carry out sabotage, terrorist attacks and organize military rebellions in the country”.
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The deployment has raised concerns that Belarusian troops could join Russian forces in the offensive in Ukraine.
Minsk said on Tuesday that the task force was “purely defensive”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of “trying to draw Belarus directly into this war” at the G7 meeting on Tuesday.
Zelensky called for an international observation mission on the Ukraine-Belarus border.
Lukashenko is an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and allowed Moscow’s army to use Belarusian territory to launch a military operation against Kyiv in February.
But the Belarusian armed forces have so far not been involved in the offensive.
Belarus is financially and politically dependent on its main ally, Russia.
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