Russia has transferred 5,000 troops to Belarus. This was stated at a briefing by Jen Psaki, the Press Secretary of the White House, speaking about the situation around Ukraine.
«It’s not just words, of course. You are seeing specifics that we’ve been laying out here, including over 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders — amassed on the border, with more troops and weaponry on the way. They’ve also been surging troops into Belarus, which our U.N. ambassador spoke about this morning, seeing about 5,000 troops in Belarus with plans for more in the coming weeks.» she said, meaning Russia.
It should be noted that according to the Vienna Document, military activities are not subject to notification if no more than 9 thousand people, including supporting troops, participate in it. Exercises in which up to 13 thousand people take part are not subject to observation. The document also sets limits on the amount of equipment involved in maneuvers, for which prior notification or observation is not mandatory.
Officially, Russian troops arrive in Belarus as part of the inspection of the Union State’s rapid reaction forces. Its first stage will continue until February 9. Units are being transferred to Belarus, including from the Eastern Military District of the Russian Federation. The inspection will end with the drills «Union Resolve — 2022», which will be held on February 10-20 at all the main military training grounds of Belarus, mainly located near the borders, as well as on the terrain. Officially, the Ministries of Defense of Belarus and Russia have not yet named the number of Russian units that arrived in the country.
Psaki also noted that a sign of de-escalation of the situation on the part of Russia will be the withdrawal of troops from the border with Ukraine, the non-dispatch of more troops to Belarus.
Source: Reform.by
