Russia starts withdrawing troops, equipment from Belarus in wake of Zapad-2021 drills
The troops of the Western Military District, the Airborne Troops and the aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces involved in the joint strategic exercise Zapad-2021 at two training grounds on the territory of Belarus have started returning to their permanent deployment points in the Russian Federation, Russia’s Defence Ministry reports.
“Currently, military units and formations of the guards tank army and the Airborne Troops are marching to railway stations and airfields, where they are loading onto railway platforms and military transport aviation aircraft. The engineering staff has started preparing aviation equipment for the flight to the airfields based in the Russian Federation. The first military echelons are already on the move,” Thursday’s statement reads.
The military drills Zapad-2021 were held on September 10-16 in the area stretching from the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad region to Russia’s Voronezh and Nizhny Novgorod regions. Nine training ranges are used on Russian territory and five on Belarusian territory.
200,000 servicemen, more than 80 planes and helicopters, over 290 tanks, and up to 760 pieces of military equipment, including up to 15 ships, are taking part in the exercise. Only 12,800 people were engaged in Belarus, of whom 2,500 were Russians. The Belarusian side reportedly involved more than 30 aircraft and helicopters, and 350 pieces of military equipment, including up to 140 tanks.
The five Belarusian firing ranges (‘Abuz-Lyasnouski’, ‘Brestski’, ‘Chepyalova’, ‘Damanauski,’ ‘Ruzhanski’) which became venues for the wargame are in the west of the country, near the border with the European Union. Brestski in one is just 5 km from it.
On August 28, in the run-up to Zapad-2021, a unit of antiaircraft missile forces of the Russian Federation arrived in Hrodna. Notably, these troops are expected to remain in Belarus even after the end of the drills. According to the Belarusian Defence Ministry, Russian soldiers and equipment are to be engaged in forming a training and combat centre for joint training of the Air Force and the air defence forces of Belarus and Russia. Moreover, Russian Sukhoi Su-30 fighter planes came down at the airfield in the town of Baranavichy on September, 3. They will reportedly stay behind in Belarus as well.
“The airmen will be on a joint combat duty as part of the protection of the air borders of the Union State (Belarus and Russia),” the ministry said then.
