MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia has started withdrawing troops from Belarus who took part in joint “Slavic Brotherhood” military exercises, Interfax news agency cited the Ministry of Defence as saying on Friday.
Russian paratroopers who parachuted into Belarus on Wednesday were loading equipment and personnel onto military trains for departure from the city of Brest, the ministry said.
The joint exercises have been a symbol of Russian support for Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who had himself sworn in for a new five-year term this week despite mass protests over a disputed election.
(Reporting by Anton Kolodyazhnyy; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
