Published on 16/09/2026 – 6:36 GMT+2
Belarus has initiated a four-day military exercise near its borders with Poland and Lithuania, according to the Belarusian service of Radio Free Europe, citing the defence ministry in Minsk.
The drills feature mechanised and tank battalions training in border protection, counter-sabotage operations, and defence against drone and light aircraft attacks.
The chosen location carries significant geopolitical weight, with some exercises taking place near the Suwałki Gap—a narrow corridor between Poland and Lithuania deemed strategically critical by NATO.
Key training areas include the Hoża training ground on the Lithuanian border, as well as the Brzeski and Różański ranges, situated approximately 15 and 60 kilometres from the Polish border, respectively.
A sensitive point on NATO’s eastern flank
The Suwałki Gap represents one of the most strategically sensitive security zones in Eastern Europe. This 104-kilometre stretch of the Polish-Lithuanian border serves as the sole land link between the Baltic states and the rest of NATO, while simultaneously separating Belarus from Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.
Minsk maintains that there is no cause for concern, with the Belarusian defence ministry characterising the exercises as “purely defensive.”
Authorities further assert that the scale of participation and weaponry remains within the limits defined by the 2011 Vienna Document, which mandates prior notification to other states. However, no official figures have been released regarding the number of troops involved.
Belarus: manoeuvres in the shadow of the war in Ukraine
These ongoing exercises are part of broader efforts to evaluate the combat readiness of Belarus’s armed forces.
On 11 September, President Alyaksandr Lukashenka visited the Obuz-Lesnowski training ground near Baranavichy, stating his intent to assess the overall functionality of the national security sector.
While Belarus has historically conducted military drills near NATO’s eastern frontier—often with Russian participation, such as the 2020 “Slavic Brotherhood” exercises and the 2021 Zapad 21 drills—the current geopolitical context imbues these activities with heightened significance.
As a close ally of Russia, Belarus permitted the use of its territory and infrastructure for military operations against Ukraine following the February 2022 invasion.
Although Minsk has not officially deployed its own combat forces directly onto Ukrainian soil, its logistical and military support for Moscow continues to attract substantial international criticism.
Recent intelligence highlights deepening bilateral cooperation, with Ukraine’s Border Guard Service reporting that Russian forces are utilising Belarusian relay stations to operate drones targeting western Ukraine.