Belarus started military exercises on Tuesday in regions bordering Ukraine and European Union members Lithuania and Poland, the Belarusian defence ministry said.

The three-day drills in the Gomel and Grodno regions aim to train officers and territorial defence troops how to defend their respective regions and how to act in case martial law is enacted, the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app.

Belarus, Russia's closest ally, has seen its relations with western neighbours and Ukraine deteriorate over the last few years, especially after Moscow used the Belarusian territory as a staging ground for its assault on Kyiv that it launched in February 2022. REUTERS