The exercises, scheduled to continue until February 20 in Belarus, had begun and would center around “suppressing and repelling external aggression,” Russia’s defense ministry said in a statement, The Defense Post reported.

Soldiers would practice beefing up sections of the Belarus border to block the delivery of weapons and ammunition into the country, among other scenarios, it said.

For the joint military exercise, Russia has moved around 30,000 troops and fighter jets to Belarus, The Guardian reported.

Two battalions of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems and numerous fighter jets have been brought by Russia to Belarus for joint military exercises with the Belarusian army.

Responding to Western concerns, the Kremlin has insisted that it has no intention of leaving the troops permanently on Belarusian territory.

While speaking to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin told him that Russian troops will exit from Belarus on the day joint military drills end which is February.

RHM/PR