Belarus' authoritarian president said Monday that the ex-Soviet nation will form a new territorial defense force amid the fighting in neighboring Ukraine.
President Alexander Lukashenko has cultivated close military ties with Russia, which used Belarusian territory to send troops into Ukraine nearly a year ago at the start of what the Kremlin calls its “special military operation.” Russia also has maintained about 10,000 troops in Belarus and the two countries have regularly conducted joint drills as part of their military alliance.
