Russia Begins Delivering Military Cargo to Belarus via Il-76 Aircraft

Russian military transport aircraft Il-76 have begun flying actively to the Belarusian Machulishchy military air base.

The activity of Russian transport aviation has been recorded by analysts from AviVector.

An-124-100 transport aircraft has also been involved in cargo transportation.

The Machulishchy air base is one of the few in Belarus capable of accommodating large military transport aircraft with heavy payloads.

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this airbase has become a base for Russian forces.

The Russian Aerospace Forces have used the Machulishchy airfield as a temporary deployment site for A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft and MiG-31 fighters to carry out combat missions in the war against Ukraine.

Analysts suggest that the current activity of Russian transport aviation with Il-76 aircraft may be related to preparations for the Zapad-2025 joint exercises, scheduled for September.

It is noted that the scenario and scale of these exercises largely repeat those under the cover of which Russia amassed troops and equipment near the Ukrainian border in the winter of 2022, preparing for the invasion.

In Minsk, they assure that the exercises pose no threat to neighboring countries and are solely aimed at preparing the military forces of both countries.

“This is an increase in the level of training of our servicemen, an increase in the level of interaction between the Armed Forces of Belarus and Russia,” said Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin. “We do this for ourselves and demonstrate that we are ready to defend ourselves and threaten no one.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte believes that the Kremlin is unlikely to dare start a new military conflict in Europe at this time; however, they do not completely rule out such a scenario and will closely monitor Russian actions in Belarus.

“If anyone decides that an attack on Poland or any of our allies will go unpunished, they will face the full force of the Alliance,” Rutte warned. “Our response will be devastating. This must be absolutely clear to Vladimir Putin and to anyone who wants to attack us.”