Deployment of Russian Troops in Belarus... "Will Not Exceed 9,000 Personnel"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] As 9,000 Russian troops began to be stationed in Belarus, an ally of Russia, to form a joint force between the two countries, tensions along the Ukraine border are also rising.

According to major foreign media on the 16th (local time), Valery Levenko, Head of the International Military Cooperation Department of the Belarus Ministry of Defense, stated on Twitter that "the number of Russian troops to be stationed in Belarus will not exceed 9,000," adding, "the first train carrying Russian troops has arrived in Belarus, and it will take several days for all to arrive."

Russian air force capabilities are also joining the joint forces with Belarus. The Belarus Ministry of Defense said in a statement that "the air force, which will be part of the regional joint forces, has departed from Russia and begun arriving in Belarus."

Belarus has been actively supporting Russia by providing military bases within its territory during Russia's invasion operation of Ukraine that began at the end of February.

On the 10th, Russia and Belarus announced that they had agreed on the activities of the joint regional forces. Belarus claims that the joint regional forces with Russia are for defensive purposes and has argued that neighboring countries such as Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania, which support Russia, show signs of attempting to attack Belarus.

Subsequently, Belarus declared an anti-terrorism operational system, an emergency regime introduced to prevent terrorism and recover from terrorist incidents. On the 14th, Vladimir Makei, Belarus Foreign Minister, stated, "The military and special agencies are prepared to respond to any provocations from neighboring countries."

Meanwhile, Ukraine, which suffered a massive airstrike from Russia in retaliation for the Crimean Bridge explosion incident, repeatedly requested international support, including air defense systems.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky requested the deployment of an international monitoring team along the border between Ukraine and Belarus during the G7 summit held via video conference on the 11th.

President Zelensky said, "If Ukraine can receive sufficient support for modern and efficient air defense systems, rocket attacks, which are the core of Russian terrorism, will also cease," adding, "These systems are expected to operate effectively at medium and long ranges, forming layered air defense shields."

On the 8th, after the Crimean Bridge, which connects the Crimean Peninsula and the Russian mainland, partially collapsed due to an explosion and fire, killing three people, Russia retaliated on the 10th by launching more than 80 missiles and rockets across Ukraine, including Kyiv. The attack resulted in over 120 casualties and caused significant damage to infrastructure such as power and water supply.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.