Belarus deploys equipment and troops to border with Lithuania: Details
Photo: Belarus deployed equipment and military to the border with Lithuania on March 14 (t me modmilby)
On the night of March 14, Belarus moved a 46-car train with equipment and military personnel to the Ashmyany district. It borders Lithuania, according to the monitoring group Belaruski Gayun, belzhd_live.
"Units of the 19th mechanized brigade (1st separate mechanized battalion, military unit 14398; 4th separate tank battalion, military unit 22092) were transferred to Ashmyany district (bordering Lithuania)," reads the statement of Gayun.
According to belzhd_live, the echelon with military equipment arrived at the Ashmyany station last night.
In particular, the amount of equipment that arrived corresponds to an incomplete mechanized battalion reinforced by a tank company, 46 railroad cars, namely:
- 4 passenger cars (with personnel of the Armed Forces of Belarus);
- 3 boxcars (with equipment and ammunition);
- 39 platform cars: 12 platforms with BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles (24 units in total), 9 platforms with T-72B tanks (9 units), 3 platforms with military engineering equipment, and 15 platforms with automotive equipment (30 units in total).
According to Gayun, the transfer of units of the 19th Mechanized Brigade to the border was carried out in several stages:
- On March 11, the first echelon was formed at Zaslonovo station with the equipment of the 1st separate mechanized battalion. On March 12, the echelon was spotted in Orsha.
- On March 13, the second echelon departed from Zaslonovo station, this time with the equipment of the 4th separate tank battalion.
- On March 13, the two echelons were combined into one and then sent to Ashmyany station.
Situation in Belarus
On March 11, Belarus announced a test of combat readiness. The military did not rule out the possibility of even restricting civilian traffic as part of the test. It is worth noting that this is not the first time Belarus has conducted a combat readiness check of the army. In previous cases, no restrictions on civilian traffic were imposed.
On the night of March 1, Lithuania closed two more checkpoints on the border with Belarus - Lavorysh and Raigarde. Only the Myadyninkai and Shalchyninkai checkpoints remain open in the country. In addition, at the end of 2023, Lithuania detained people who spied for Belarus.
For reference
Ashmyany district is an administrative unit in the northeast of the Hrodna region of Belarus, bordering Lithuania. The administrative center is the town of Ashmyany.
Belarus deployed equipment and military to the border with Lithuania on March 14 (wikipedia.org)
