Belarus is a close ally of Russia and has a long border with Ukraine.
France called the drills – believed to be Russia’s biggest deployment to Belarus since the Cold War – a “violent gesture”. Ukraine says they amount to “psychological pressure”.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday that Europe faces its biggest security crisis in decades.
Russia has repeatedly denied any plans to invade Ukraine despite massing more than 100,000 troops at the border.
But the US and other Western countries have warned that an attack could come at any time.
The exercises – known as Allied Resolve 2022 – are taking place close to the Belarusian border with Ukraine, which is a little over 1,000km (620 miles) long.
There are fears that if Russia tries to invade Ukraine, the exercises put Russian troops close to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, making an attack on the city easier.
Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko is a firm ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the two countries have created a so-called “Union State” which includes economic and military integration. The Kremlin backed Mr Lukashenko after a disputed election in 2020 that led to protests in Belarus.
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