Belarus Deploys Troops and Military Equipment for Exercises Near Suwałki Corridor

Belarus is conducting command-and-staff military exercises near its borders with Poland and Lithuania, involving mechanized and tank units.

The exercises, led by Chief of the General Staff Pavel Muraveiko, are being held by the Western Operational Command from September 15 to 18, according to Belarus’s Ministry of Defense.

Practical drills are taking place at the Hozha, Brest, and Ruzhany training grounds, as well as at other locations in the Brest and Grodno regions. The Hozha training ground is located near the Lithuanian border.

According to the ministry, the troops are practicing border security measures and responding to sabotage groups, drones, and light aircraft.

The exercises also involve reservists who have been called up to serve in territorial defense units.

Belarus’s Ministry of Defense claimed that one of the units was tasked with guarding a water intake facility, while another is working with police to control traffic along a section of road. Soldiers from a mechanized brigade have set up a checkpoint and, together with border guards, are inspecting vehicles and people.

The exercises also place particular emphasis on countering drones. The Ministry of Defense said mobile fire teams are maintaining round-the-clock duty on trucks and conducting live-fire drills against targets simulating reconnaissance UAVs.

The Suwałki Corridor is a stretch of the Polish-Lithuanian border between Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad region. It connects the Baltic states with the rest of NATO territory by land.

Muraveiko stated that the Belarusian army is “not considering any offensive actions.” He called claims that it is preparing to attack neighboring countries unfounded.

Militarnyi previously reported that Russia is pressuring Lukashenko in an effort to draw Belarus more deeply into the war against Ukraine.

Moscow, in particular, wants to use Belarusian territory to launch drones and is considering opening a new front.

Last summer, Belarus conducted mobilization exercises in the Brest region, which borders both Ukraine and Poland.