Russia sends paratroopers for military training in Belarus

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia on Friday announced that it sent a unit of its airborne forces to hold a joint military drill with Belarus.

"On November 12, as part of a surprise combat readiness check of Airborne Forces, a unit of Russian paratroopers will perform a practical landing on an unfamiliar site in the Grodno region of the Republic of Belarus and take part in a joint tactical exercise with units of the Belarusian armed forces," said the Defense Ministry.

The training will engage an IL-76 military transport aircraft, which will drop the paratroopers in Belarus and then return to its area of permanent deployment, it added.

After the drill, the Russian paratroopers will also return to their point of permanent deployment in Russia.

The exercise came amid heightened tensions between Belarus and Poland over a migration crisis that has escalated this week.

On Monday, Polish authorities deployed about 15,000 troops along the border to stop migrants seeking to enter the EU from Belarus.

The heavy deployment sparked concern in Moscow, with the Kremlin saying it was closely monitoring "the alarming situation" and urging all parties to behave responsibly.

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia on Friday announced that it sent a unit of its airborne forces to hold a joint military drill with Belarus.

The training will engage an IL-76 military transport aircraft, which will drop the paratroopers in Belarus and then return to its area of permanent deployment, it added.

After the drill, the Russian paratroopers will also return to their point of permanent deployment in Russia.

The exercise came amid heightened tensions between Belarus and Poland over a migration crisis that has escalated this week.

On Monday, Polish authorities deployed about 15,000 troops along the border to stop migrants seeking to enter the EU from Belarus.

The heavy deployment sparked concern in Moscow, with the Kremlin saying it was closely monitoring "the alarming situation" and urging all parties to behave responsibly.