Strategic allies Russia and Belarus began holding wide-ranging joint military drills on Jan. 16, according to official statements from both countries.
The exercises, which are set to continue until Feb. 1, will likely fuel fears of a possible Russian advance on Kyiv, which sits only 95 miles south of the Belarusian border.
According to the Belarusian Defense Ministry, the “joint tactical flight drills” are aimed at improving “operational compatibility in the collective achievement of combat training objectives.”
A Belarusian T-72 tank shoots at a target during a tank biathlon competition outside Minsk, Belarus, on June 17, 2017. (Maxim Malinovsky/AFP/Getty Images)
More specifically, the drills are meant to rehearse air reconnaissance, joint aerial patrols, the provision of air support for ground operations, tactical assault landings, and cargo deliveries, the ministry said in a statement….