Belarus Warning Update: Putin Intensifies Russian-Belarusian Military Integration
Oct 27, 2020 - George Barros![](https://understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumbnail/public/WFI%20Belarus%20Map_155.png?itok=Q6b6B_Pl)
3:15 pm EDT: Russian President Vladimir Putin achieved a major milestone in his pressure campaign to subordinate Belarus’ military to Russia. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin adopted a common military doctrine and announced the completed formation of Russian-Belarusian “regional grouping of forces” on October 27. The formation of a Russian-Belarusian regional grouping of forces is a major achievement in Putin’s larger campaign to subordinate former Soviet states’ militaries to Russian-dominated structures. The Russian State Duma first ratified the agreement to create a regional grouping of forces with Belarus in 2017.