MOSCOW. Feb 15 (Interfax) - The Russian military exercises are drawing to a close as planned, irrespective of the current military-political situation, and the joint exercise with Belarus has no direct relation to the interaction between NATO and Russia, Viktor Bondarev, head of the defense and security committee in the Federation Council, said.
"The return of the Russian Southern and Western Military District troops to bases is being carried out as planned and is unrelated to the current military-political situation in Eastern Europe," Bondarev was quoted by his press service as saying.
As far as the Union Resolve 2022 exercise is concerned, Russian-Belarussian military cooperation in the area of ensuring regional security is constant and institutionally formalized, the senator said.
"Belarus and Russia have an active regional group of troops (force), actively interact as members of the CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization], Belarus hosts a number of Russian military facilities. Joint exercises are conducted regularly," Bondarev said.
The purpose of the Union Resolve exercise, which began on February 10, is to practice countering potential hostile aggression and a terror threat, he said. "This process has no direct relation to Russia's relationship with NATO," Bondarev said.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that its units from the Western and Southern military districts on February 15 would start returning, by road and train, from the exercises to their bases.