Mobilization exercises are being conducted in Belarus with military enlistment offices against the backdrop of the Kremlin's demand for Minsk to assist in escalating the war against Ukraine. The Ministry of Defense of the country announced the start of activities taking place in the Grodno region, bordering Poland and Lithuania.
As part of the exercises, according to the authorities, issues of mobilizing citizens and vehicles in the region will be practiced.
The Ministry of Defense announced that from June 20 to July 2, reservists from the Oshmyany district will be summoned 'for a control appearance and verification of accounting data' at the assembly point for military personnel.
In addition to 'updating data,' the authorities are 'updating information on those who arrived for exercises in the accounting documents if necessary.' A total of about two thousand citizens are expected to be 'notified.' As the Ministry of Defense explained, reservists are being called up for military training 'with subsequent participation in exercises as part of military commissariats,' during which they 'will improve military knowledge, master weapons and military equipment, and learn to perform tasks from exercise leaders that require operational solutions and actions.' It is noted that the mobilization exercises are of a 'planned nature.'
According to sources from The Wall Street Journal, President Vladimir Putin has intensified pressure on Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko since the beginning of 2026, demanding his participation in escalating the war against Ukraine. In case of refusal, the Kremlin threatens Minsk with the cessation of financial support, on which the Belarusian economy largely depends.
Among the demands discussed by Lukashenko and the Russian ambassador to Belarus, Boris Gryzlov, in addition to expanding the military campaign against Kyiv, is a point about conducting operations against NATO countries, sources told the newspaper.
Since the beginning of the year, the Belarusian authorities have been conducting various exercises for law enforcement forces, notes Zerkalo. In January, maneuvers initiated by Lukashenko began, during which the head of state raised military units on alert bypassing the General Staff. Since February, exercises for the police and internal troops on dispersing protests have also been conducted. They are to take place in every region of Belarus.
In addition, large-scale maneuvers are taking place in various regions to practice in the event of 'conditional missile strikes with a large number of casualties' or 'protecting the population and territories from emergencies in peacetime and wartime.' Recently, exercises with territorial defense and 'people's militia' were conducted in the Vitebsk region, reports The Moscow Times.
