The first Russian soldiers arrive in Belarus after the announcement of a joint force

First modification: 10/15/2022 – 19:41

Belarus reaffirms itself as an ally of Russia in the military field in the midst of Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

The Belarusian Ministry of Defense reported on October 15 that the first group of Russian soldiers sent to form a regional group, which was announced by the two parties since last Monday, October 10, is already in its territory.

“The first trains with the Russian military that will make up the Regional Military Group arrived in the Republic of Belarus,” said the Defense portfolio of the Government of Alexander Lukashenko, in the last hours.

According to Minsk, the goal of the joint force is “strictly defensive.”

To justify the new military cooperation between the two allies of the former Soviet Union, Lukashenko accused Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine of training militants to attack his nation.

Likewise, Putin’s ally president pointed out an alleged “direct threat”, accusing the invaded nation of planning attacks “on the territory of Belarus” from the south.

“In view of the worsening of the situation on the western borders of the State Union, we agreed to deploy a regional (military) grouping” of both countries, Lukashenko said last week when announcing the decision taken together with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

From the beginning, kyiv has accused the Belarusian government of being an accomplice in the conflict, ordered by Putin on February 24, since weeks before the two nations carried out joint military exercises in Belarus, a country that borders the north of Ukraine.

Volodímir Zelenski’s government insists that Lukashenko cede his territory to the invading army to launch attacks against Ukrainian soil.

The new military cooperation that Putin and his Belarusian counterpart openly acknowledge comes amid the Kremlin’s renewed strategy after the heavy setbacks its troops suffered in Ukraine in the past month.

The kyiv forces assure that they have recovered more than 600 settlements that were under the control of the Russian Army. One of the hardest blows for the invading troops was their expulsion from Kharkiv province, where Moscow soldiers fled, leaving behind dozens of vehicles and military equipment that were later taken by the local army.

In response, the Russian president ordered a series of new measures. Among them, he called for the partial mobilization of reservists, so far 220,000 have been mobilized, as his government acknowledged on Friday, October 14.

In addition, the Kremlin accelerated the holding of referendums at the end of last September with which the provinces of Donetsk and Lugansk, in the east of Ukraine, and Kherson and Zaporizhia in the south, were illegally annexed.

Last Monday, October 10, Russian troops surprised with a barrage of air strikes on several towns, including the kyiv region, where the country’s capital of the same name is located. An area that until now was relatively calm, after the Ukrainian Army contained the advance of the Russians there in the first days of the conflict.

Saudi Arabia announces $400 million humanitarian aid to Ukraine

Saudi Arabian authorities announced that they will provide $400 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

In addition, the crown prince Mohammed bin Salman communicated by telephone on Friday, October 14, with the Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelenski, to express his willingness to mediate in the conflict.

Bin Salman emphasized “the kingdom’s position to support anything that contributes to de-escalation, and the kingdom’s readiness to continue mediation efforts,” the state-run Saudi news agency SPA reported.

UK points to “endemic corruption” and “poor logistics” in the Russian Army

The United Kingdom Ministry of Defense, whose intelligence agencies monitor the conflict in Ukraine, issued a report this Saturday, October 15, in which it assures that there is “endemic corruption” within the Russian Army that hinders military progress in the land.

The British portfolio claims that the average amount of personal equipment Russia provides to its newly mobilized reservists is “almost certainly less than the already poor supply of previously deployed troops”.

For this reason, many Russian men called up to fight in Ukraine are likely to have to buy their own bulletproof vests, at a time when their prices have skyrocketed, the document based on the British intelligence service points out.

“Many reservists will likely need to purchase their own body armor, especially the modern 6B45 vest, which is bound to be a general issue for combat units as part of the Ratnik personal equipment program,” he said, referring to the body armor. Russian combat.

The ministry said the vest was being sold on Russian online shopping sites for around US$640, more than three times what it cost last April.

London stressed that this situation adds to “insufficient logistics” and continues to be the cause of Russia’s “poor performance” in Ukraine.

With Reuters and local media