MOSCOW

The armed forces of Belarus on Tuesday launched surprise drills to check their combat readiness.

Military exercises “of a complex nature” are being carried out on President Alexander Lukashenko’s orders, the Defense Ministry of Ukraine’s northern neighbor said.

“Troops will have to move to designated areas as soon as possible, carry out engineering tasks, organize security and defense, as well as complete bridge crossings over the Neman and Berezina rivers,” the statement said.

Due to movement of military equipment and personnel, flow of traffic on some public roads will be temporarily restricted, it added.

Belarus is close ally of Russia and has aided Moscow’s ongoing offensive against Ukraine, which has decimated large swathes of the country and led to mass deaths and displacement.