Russia, Belarus hold drills near Poland

Tensions between Minsk and EU escalate over migrants’ arrival at Polish border

Belarusian and Russian paratroopers staged joint drills on Friday near the Polish and Lithuanian borders, during a camped in .

The exercise at the Gozhsky training ground involved airborne units landing and carrying out combat training, including capturing and holding a bridgehead and searching and destroying enemy targets, the Belarusian Defence Ministry said.

The EU has accused Belarus of mounting a “hybrid attack” on the bloc by flying in thousands of migrants, mainly from West Asia, and pushing them to try to cross illegally into Poland. It is preparing to impose fresh sanctions on Minsk.