Russia is dumping cargo in Belarus using Il-76 aircraft
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Russia has stepped up the airlift of military cargo to Belarus.
According to the analytical project AviVector , Russian military transport aircraft Il-76 and heavy transport aircraft An-124-100 have begun to regularly arrive at the Belarusian airbase “Machulishchi”.
The Machulishchi airbase is one of the few in Belarus capable of receiving heavy-lift aircraft. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the base has been actively used by Russian occupation forces, in particular for the temporary basing of A-50 airborne early warning aircraft and MiG-31 fighters that have carried out combat missions against Ukraine.
Analysts believe that the current activity of transport aviation is connected with preparations for the Russian-Belarusian exercises “Zapad-2025”, which are scheduled to take place in September. In terms of scale and scenario, these maneuvers are very reminiscent of Moscow’s actions on the eve of the invasion of Ukraine in the winter of 2022. Minsk states that the exercises do not pose a threat to its neighbors, but are aimed exclusively at training the military of both countries. Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin assured that this is a demonstration of readiness for defense, not aggression.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stressed that while the Kremlin would probably hesitate to start a new armed conflict in Europe, the Alliance was closely monitoring the developments in Belarus. He warned that any aggression against NATO member states would be met with a crushing response, and this should be a clear signal to Putin and his entourage.
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