A two-phase training of joint forces of Russia and Belarus is taking place in Belarus, the Sputnik news agency reported.

The two countries relocated their forces, formed groups of troops in certain areas, took important civil and military installations into custody and protected the air borders of the alliance between late January and February 9th as part of the drill.

Minsk and Moscow plan to carry out the Allied Resolution 2022 exercise during the second phase, which will start tomorrow and will last until February 20th, with the troops training in fighting and repelling an external aggressor, counter-terrorism and defending the interests of the alliance.

Aleinik made statements to the press stressing that each country’s forces will return to their bases once the exercise has ended, in response to speculation about a possible stationing of Russian forces in Belarus.

“Citizens of European states continue to be scared by every joint Belarusian-Russian exercise, deliberately forgetting that all troops return to their permanent deployment points after each training,” he said.

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