Belarus toughens army combat readiness amid NATO drills

Minsk, March 12 (IANS) Belarus has started a full-scale inspection of the combat readiness of the armed forces, in light of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)'s exercises going on near its borders, said the Defense Ministry.

"The armed forces are paying great attention to maintaining a high level of combat and mobilisation readiness in the current aggravated military-political situation," the Ministry said on Monday in a Telegram post, citing Viktor Gulevich, Chief of the General Staff of the Belarusian Armed Forces and first Deputy Defence Minister.

Gulevich said that the inspection is also a response to the NATO maneuvers taking place throughout Europe, including the Polish-led Dragon 24 exercises underway within the framework of the NATO Steadfast Defender military drills, the largest in Europe over decades, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said designated military units of the country's armed forces will conduct a series of exercises, and such reactions will be intensified in the future, including increasing the participating troops.