Russian troops arrive in Belarus as part of joint force

ANKARA

The first troops of the Russian military under a joint regional force arrived in Belarus, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

The ministry said in a statement that the decision was taken based on the interest of strengthening the protection of the Belarusian territory.

It added that the Russian troops were presented with bread and salt on their arrival.​​​​​​​

On Oct. 10, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he had agreed with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the deployment of a joint regional group of troops "in connection with the aggravation on the western borders of the Union State."