MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/: Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and his Belarusian counterpart Viktor Khrenin discussed measures of strategic deterrence and the training of the regional group of forces, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
"Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu held a telephone conversation with Belarusian Defense Minister Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin. The two defense chiefs discussed current measures of strategic deterrence and progress in the training of the regional group of forces," the statement reads.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated on October 10, 2022, that under an agreement with Moscow, the formation of a regional group of forces had begun, the bulk of which would be made up of Belarusian service members. Minsk announced the arrival of the first trains carrying Russian troops in mid-October. Russian President Vladimir Putin said, following talks with Lukashenko in the Belarusian capital on December 19, that Moscow and Minsk would continue to carry out joint exercises and other combat training activities, particularly involving the regional group of forces. In early January, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said that efforts were underway to build up the regional forces and boost their readiness to perform missions aimed at protecting the Union State of Belarus and Russia.
