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After meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin said the two countries would hold a military exercise next year.
The massive maneuvers, he said, were Lukashenko’s proposal and are likely to take place in February or March, with details to be finalized later.
The two countries conducted similar maneuvers in September, involving nearly 200,000 troops and hundreds of military vehicles and equipment.
The exercise caused concern in Ukraine and other European countries because it took place very close to the EU borders.
At the time, Putin responded to the criticism by saying that such moves were not directed at any particular foreign power and that the military was justified in carrying them out due to the growing activity of NATO members like the US in proximity to the Russian border with Ukraine. The exercises added to months of tensions created by the gathering of tens of thousands of Russian troops.
The gathering of troops at the border has continued, fueling worldwide fears that Putin was planning to invade Ukraine in 2022.
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