Some 500 Belarusian instructors train Russian soldiers – defense ministry

April 6, BPN. Over 500 Belarusian instructors are training units of the joint regional group of forces, the defense ministry’s press office reported citing Alaksandr Bas, head of the main training department of the Belarusian Armed Forces.

The instructors are highly qualified, while the training is based on “modern forms and methods of fighting,” in particular on combat experience in Ukraine, he said.

Soldiers train both individually and in small groups with a focus on mastering weapons and combat operations in various types of terrain, including in urban conditions, with the use of UAVs and other modern equipment, he added.

In October 2022, Alaksandr Łukašenka announced that Belarus and Russia would deploy a joint regional group due to “a build-up on the Union state’s western borders.” Russian soldiers started arriving in Belarus in the same month.

Their training takes place amid Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, in which the Belarusian leadership supports the Kremlin. Authorities in Minsk denied Belarusian army troops’ involvement in combat operations on the Russian side. However, Belarus allowed Russian troops and weapons to move freely through the country, use its airspace, refuel and store military equipment and attack Ukraine from its territory.