Belarusian troops practise crossing the Sozh River along the Ukrainian border

Tuesday, 7 June 2022, 14:39

UKRAINSKA PRAVDA — TUESDAY, 7 JUNE 2022, 14:39

The Belarusian Armed Forces began "combat readiness" exercises, in the first stage of which servicemen of the 103rd Vitebsk Airborne Brigade "practised" crossing the Sozh River, which runs along the Ukrainian-Belarusian border.

Source: Belta Belarusian State Agency

Details: According to the Belarusian military, an episode of overcoming a water obstacle as part of a reinforced parachute landing battalion was "worked out" on Sozh [River]. According to the military’s tactical plan, sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the aggressors allegedly operate in the area of the crossing.

Quote from Deputy Battalion Commander for Ideological Work of the 103rd Brigade Andrei Shkirianov: "This event is held according to the combat training plan for the servicemen of special operations forces. We regularly conduct exercises in all parts of the country.

The main task is to give unit commanders and crews of combat vehicles practice in preparing equipment to overcome the water barrier."

Reference: The state border between Belarus and Ukraine is 1084.2 km, 758.3 km of which is on land, 325.9 km is on water (rivers Dnipro, Sozh and Prypiat) and about 120 km along the exclusion zone of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

The agreement on the state border between Ukraine and Belarus entered into force in June 2013. The agreement was signed on 12 May 1997, and ratified by the Verkhovna Rada [Parliament] of Ukraine on 18 July 1997.

Previously: According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Belarus plans to increase the size of its army almost twofold: from 45,000 to 80,000.

Background: The president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said recently that for the moment, the Ukrainian analysts do not see any real risks of a second invasion of Ukraine from Belarus.