MOSCOW/ MINSK —Russia and Belarus began joint military exercises on Monday, sparking fears in Kyiv and the West that Moscow could use its ally to launch a fresh ground offensive in Ukraine.

Russia used its neighbor Belarus as a springboard to invade Ukraine last February.

The two countries will conduct air force drills from Jan. 16 to Feb. 1 using all Belarus military airfields and began joint army exercises involving a “mechanized brigade subdivision” on Monday, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said.

Minsk is claiming that the drills are “defensive in nature” and that it has no plans to enter the war, accusing Ukraine of “provoking” Belarus and causing turmoil at the two countries’ border.

“We’re maintaining restraint and patience, keeping our gunpowder dry,” stated Pavel Muraveyko, first deputy state secretary of Belarusian Security Council, according to a post on the Belarusian Defense Ministry’s Telegram app on Sunday.

“We are ready for any provocative actions on the part of Ukraine,” he added.

While Moscow refutes the claim that it has been putting pressure on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to get more actively involved in the Ukraine war, Kyiv has repeatedly warned of possible attacks from Minsk.

Belarus has conducted various military exercises since Moscow’s invasion, both independently and jointly with Russia, bolstering the drills with weaponry and military equipment.

Unofficial military monitoring channels on Telegram have reported that military equipment, including fighters, helicopters and transport planes, have been shipped to Belarus since the start of the year —- with eight fighters and four cargo planes on Sunday alone.

Reuters, however, has been unable to verify the reports, while Minsk claims that only “units” of Russia’s air forces have been arriving in the country. — Euronews