Russia and Belarus have on Thursday, February 10, 2022, started 10 days of joint military drills amid ongoing fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian Defence Ministry disclosed that the war games exercises are aimed at “repelling external aggression with a defensive operation,” widely seen as a show of strength by Russia. The exercises come at a time when 100,000 Russian troops remain at various points along Ukraine’s borders.

The exercises, known as Allied Resolve 2022, are taking place close to the Belarusian border with Ukraine, which is a little over 1,000km (620 miles) long. Geographically, Belarus is a close ally of Russia and has a long border with Ukraine.

France called the drills a “violent gesture” as it signifies Russia’s biggest deployment to Belarus since the Cold War. Ukraine says actions by Russia is amounting to “psychological pressure”.

UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, on Thursday, February 10, 2022, said Europe is facing its biggest security crisis in decades.

Russia has repeatedly denied any plans to invade Ukraine, although some 100,000 troops are stationed at Ukraine’s border. But the US and other Western countries have warned that an attack could come at any time.

There are fears that if Russia tries to invade Ukraine, the exercises will put Russian troops close to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, making an attack on Ukraine easier.

Belarus leader, Alexander Lukashenko is a firm ally of Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and the two countries have created a so-called “Union State” which includes economic and military integration.

‘Psychological pressure’

According to the US Intelligence, some 30,000 Russian troops are expected to take part in the drills with Belarus, although Moscow and Minsk have not disclosed the exact number of participants. Troops will also perform drills to protect the border and block delivery channels for weapons and ammunition.

Russia insists that it has the right to move its troops freely across its territory and that of its allies with their agreement. The country added that the troops in Belarus will return to their bases after the exercises.

A Kremlin spokesman described the joint drills as serious, saying Russia and Belarus were being “confronted with unprecedented threats”. considering the absorption of Ukraine into the NATO. But Ukraine and its Western allies have expressed concern over the drills.

Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, on Thursday, February 10, 2022, said: “The accumulation of forces at the border is psychological pressure from our neighbours.”

French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian told the media that it was a “very violent gesture”, and the US has called the exercises an “escalatory” move.

A ‘Dangerous moment’

As said by Moscow, it cannot accept that Ukraine, join the Western defence alliance, NATO, hence, Ukraine should be ruled out, although it (Ukraine) was once a former Soviet republic with deep social and cultural ties with Russia. Russia has been backing an armed rebellion in eastern Ukraine since 2014.

Russia’s EU Ambassador, Vladimir Chizhov, however, told the media that his country believes diplomacy could help de-escalate the crisis over Ukraine.

UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson is travelling to Brussels and Warsaw on Thursday, February 10, 2022, in support of NATO allies.

After meeting NATO’s Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, Mr. Johnson said he didn’t think a decision about a Russian invasion of Ukraine had been made yet. However, he warned that the danger to European security could be immediate.

Meanwhile, the UK’s Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, on Thursday, February 10, 2022, met her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. Truss said Russia should move its troops away from the Ukrainian border if it was serious about using diplomacy to defuse the crisis.