Belarus to call reservists for West-2009 military drills

Reservists will be called for a joint Belarus-Russian military exercise West-2009, an officer from the Maskouski military enlistment office in Minsk told the European Radio for Belarus.
“We plan to call reservists from September through October 2. We will have a special unit of reservists to build fortifications for a large Belarus-Russian joint military drill”.

A bombimg range near Baranavichy will be the main arena of the drill. On September 30, paratroopers with military vehicles will be deployed from the air.

From September 27 through September 28, a separate drill will take place in accordance with the plan of the Russian General Staff at a range in Barysau. Nearly 13,000 troops, including 7000 from Belarus and 6000 from Russia, are expected to take part in the exercise.