The Belarusian government has indicated that the Iskander missile system and S-400 air defense systems deployed by Russia in Belarus are now ready to become operational, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, unleashed on February 24 on Moscow’s orders.
The head of the Belarusian Defense Ministry’s Ideology Directorate has indicated that units assigned to the operations of these systems «have completed» their training in Russia and Belarus and stressed that the systems «are ready to carry out their tasks,» according to a Defense Ministry message on its Telegram account.
The announcement has come barely a week after Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Minsk to meet with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko, who said after the meeting that Moscow and Minsk are ready for dialogue with Europe, to which he has appealed to «listen to the voice of reason.»
Putin ordered the start of the invasion of Ukraine days after recognizing the independence of the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, located in the Donbas region (east) and the scene of a conflict since 2014. Moscow announced in September the annexation of these regions and those of Kherson and Zaporiyia, partially occupied in the framework of the conflict.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
