Belarus launches military exercises near the border with Ukraine

From January 8 to 31, large-scale military exercises involving territorial defense, reservists, and conscripts began in the Gomel district of Belarus, which borders Chernihiv region of Ukraine. According to the Ministry of Defense of Belarus, the exercises are being held under the leadership of the chairman of the Gomel District Executive Committee. The main emphasis is on developing personnel management skills, receiving and providing for territorial defense reservists using mobilization deployment bases. According to the Belaruski Hayun monitoring project, the exercise will pay special attention to the cooperation of the territorial defense with the engineering units of the Belarusian armed forces. The Gomel district is the first in 2025 to host such exercises. In 2024, similar exercises took place in 15 regions of Belarus, involving more than 1,500 reservists. The conduct of exercises near Ukraine's borders is worrisome due to the geographical proximity to Chernihiv region and the similarity of the scenarios to mobilization training practices in other regions. This may indicate the continuing militarization of the region, which remains an important strategic direction for Belarus. The post Belarus launches military exercises near the border with Ukraine appeared first on Freedom.