Belarus plans no offensive, exercise is just readiness check — chief of general staff

Belarus plans no offensive, exercise is just readiness check — chief of general staff Pavel Muraveyko said that various speculations are completely groundlessMINSK, September 15. /TASS/. A command and staff exercise of the Western Operational Command is being held in Belarus to assess the troops’ adaptability to modern conditions, the republic has no plans for any offensive actions, Pavel Muraveyko, Chief of the Belarusian General Staff and First Deputy Defense Minister, stated. "We are not considering any offensive actions, and in this regard, various speculations, discussions, and claims – such as that the Belarusian Armed Forces are allegedly preparing to attack neighboring countries – are completely groundless and have no basis in reality," the Defense Ministry’s press service quoted him as saying. "Based on the results of the exercise, we want to determine to what extent the command’s troops are currently adapted to modern conditions of warfare and to what extent they are capable of carrying out those elements of command and control organization that are relevant and important today," Muraveyko added. 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