Russia-Belarus Joint Defence Collegium Focuses on Regional Grouping of Forces and Air Defence
Russia and Belarus held a joint collegium of their defence ministries on October 22, 2026, with the two sides saying they took decisions aimed at strengthening the military security of both countries. Russia’s Defence Ministry reported the outcome on its official Telegram channel, quoting Defence Minister Andrei Belousov and his Belarusian counterpart, Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin.
- Event: joint collegium of the Belarusian and Russian defence ministries, October 22, 2026
- Main agenda: the joint regional grouping of forces and the Unified Regional Air Defence System
- Training: joint operational and combat training named a priority area
- Outcome: heads of delegation signed final documents; no details were released
Regional grouping and unified air defence on the agenda
According to the Russian Defence Ministry, priority attention at the meeting went to the functioning of the regional grouping of forces of Belarus and Russia and to the Unified Regional Air Defence System, the two main pillars of military integration within the Union State. “Important decisions on ensuring the military security of our countries were made today,” Belousov said, as quoted by the ministry.
The ministry did not publish the content of the decisions or say where the meeting took place.
Combat experience to shape joint training
Belousov said joint operational and combat training of troops remains a priority area of cooperation. He added that the two militaries will continue to introduce experience gained during what Moscow calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine into training, and to practise new methods and tactical techniques of combat. He said the decisions taken would strengthen cooperation between the two defence ministries.
Minsk stresses response capacity
Khrenin said the agreements reached at the collegium would help strengthen the military security of the Union State and allow the “systematic development” of the capacity to respond to emerging challenges and threats, according to the Russian ministry’s account. At the end of the session, the heads of the two delegations signed the final documents.
Context
Joint collegiums are a regular format for coordinating Russian and Belarusian defence planning. The alliance has drawn close attention from NATO members on the Alliance’s eastern flank, particularly Poland and the Baltic states, which border Belarus. Neither ministry released further details of the signed documents, and the statements could not be independently verified.
Featured image: Federation Council of Russia / CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
