Joint Drills to Be Held in Belarus This Week by a Military Alliance Led by Moscow

Military contingents from member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will begin holding joint exercises in Belarus, a key Russian ally, later this week.

Dubbed “Combat Brotherhood-2023,” the drills are slated to run from Sept. 1 to Sept. 6.

Established shortly before the Soviet Union’s dissolution in 1991, the CSTO is a six-nation military alliance led by Moscow. In addition to Russia and Belarus, current members include Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.

At an Aug. 28 press briefing, Anatoly Sidorov, joint chief-of-staff of the CSTO, said the exercises would focus largely on drone warfare.

“Radio-electronic combat will also be simulated,” Mr. Sidorov was quoted as saying by Russia’s TASS news agency.

Drone warfare has become a central feature of Russia’s ongoing invasion of eastern Ukraine, which recently entered its 19th month.

Russia relies heavily on aerial drones to strike Ukrainian positions and degrade the country’s critical infrastructure. Kyiv, for its part, has employed drones with increasing frequency to strike targets inside Russia—including Moscow itself.

According to Mr. Sidorov, the upcoming drills do not constitute “a display of aggression.”

Nor, he claimed, were they directed “at any third countries.”

On Aug. 27, the Belarusian Defense Ministry announced that military contingents from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan had arrived in Belarus to take part in the drills.

According to earlier statements released by the ministry, joint exercises will be conducted in the Brest, Grodno, and Minsk regions of Belarus.

Drills Come amid Tensions

Since Russia invaded eastern Ukraine early last year, military cooperation between Moscow and Minsk has ramped up significantly.

Last fall, the two countries established a joint regional force, comprised of Russian and Belarusian military personnel. Soon afterward, Moscow sent thousands of troops—and substantial military hardware—to Belarus.

Earlier this year, Moscow unveiled plans to station nuclear weapons in Belarus. In June, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed a number of nuclear weapons—he did not say how many—had already arrived in the country.

Yet despite its close alliance with Moscow, Belarus has yet to play an active role in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Mr. Lukashenko has repeatedly ruled out the notion of sending forces to Ukraine to fight alongside Russian troops.

Nevertheless, the accelerating pace of military cooperation between Russia and Belarus has unnerved Ukraine and its Western allies.

Along with Russia and Ukraine, Belarus shares borders with Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia—all of which are members of NATO.

Concerns were heightened last month, when hundreds of fighters from Russia’s Wagner Group began arriving in Belarus.