Belarus says 1,000 Russian soldiers to take part in drills from Sept. 22-25

Around 1,000 Russian soldiers will take part in joint military drills in Belarus from Sept. 22-25, the Belarusian Defence Ministry said on Monday.

Russia is a close ally of Belarus, where six weeks of mass protests have challenged veteran leader Alexander Lukashenko's grip on power after he declared a landslide victory in an Aug. 9 election his opponents say was rigged.