Joint tactical flight exercises of the units of the Armed Forces of Belarus and Russia kicked off in Belarus, the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Defence said.
The purpose of the exercises is to "raise interoperability in the joint performance of combat training tasks," the department said.
Servicemen will practice landing a tactical assault force, conducting aerial reconnaissance, delivering cargo and evacuating the wounded.
A military formation of Aerospace Forces takes part in the exercises on Russia's side.
Russia-Belarus joint tactical flight exercises were announced on January 8. They will be held from January 16 to February 1. All airfields and training grounds of the Air Force and Air Defence Forces of the Armed Forces of Belarus will be involved in the exercises.
The Ukrainian leadership set out concerns about Russia's military buildup on the territory of Belarus. The Pentagon noted that the United States did not yet see Minsk's intentions to become one of the parties to the conflict in Ukraine.
Despite statements from Pentagon officials, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for troops to be on full alert on the border with Belarus. There is no direct threat from the neighbouring republic, but Ukraine should be ready for any scenarios, Zelensky said.
According to Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko, part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was deployed to the border with Belarus.
On January 13, the Security Service of Ukraine conducted anti-sabotage exercises in the Rivne region near the border with Belarus. One sabotage and reconnaissance group tried to break into the country, while the second captured the energy facility of the city's critical infrastructure.
Vitaliy Koval, the head of the Rivne region, said that Ukrainian military mined the entire perimeter of the region bordering Belarus. Fortifications are already being built in the north of the region, local residents are helping in their construction, he noted.
According to Pavel Muraveiko, First Deputy State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus republic, the republic was ready for any provocations from Ukraine and was watching "all actions, including inadequate ones."