Foreign media on Belarus: 'Swift Eagle' drills and the 'Slavyansky Caravan'

The Belarusian-Chinese tactical exercise 'Swift Eagle - 2026' started this week in China. The event has drawn coverage in Chinese media and increased interest from Western outlets.

📰 Global Times 🇨🇳: "Belarus is a friendly country to China. Conducting joint airborne exercises helps strengthen traditional bilateral friendship, deepen practical military exchanges and cooperation, and enrich the content of comprehensive strategic partnership between the two states."

📰 Swissinfo 🇨🇭: "China and Belarus have begun joint exercises, demonstrating military cooperation between Beijing and Minsk... These maneuvers come a month and a half after Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in Beijing, declaring bilateral relations to be at a historic peak. Xi affirmed China's support for Belarus in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, urging both nations to act as stabilizing forces in an unstable world."

Meanwhile, Polish media raised alarmist narratives, prompting experts to respond.

📰 TVP 🇵🇱: "Belarusian soldiers are flying to China for drills. Is this preparation for war? Ukraine has long warned that Russia might try to draw Belarus into the war and open a second front. However, experts consider this scenario unlikely. Kamila Klysinska from OSW views these reports as a Ukrainian maneuver in the information war."

Ukrainian media have since toned down their rhetoric.

📰 Ukrinform 🇺🇦: "Ukrainian units and the General Staff report no buildup of strike forces on Belarusian territory near the Ukrainian border."

📰 Kyiv24 🇺🇦: "The Ukrainian Embassy in Belarus remains open, and official diplomatic relations between the countries are not severed. This allows Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of war to return home via Belarusian territory for exchanges. Maintaining contact with Belarusian authorities is key to such operations."

📰 Agenzia Nova 🇮🇹: "Ukraine maintains contact with the Belarusian leadership under Alexander Lukashenko, as such talks yield concrete results, particularly in prisoner exchanges between Kyiv and Moscow."

Meanwhile, Minsk is achieving tangible outcomes by expanding trade horizons.

📰 The Nation 🇵🇰: "Pakistan and Belarus reaffirmed their commitment to further boosting trade, investment, and industrial cooperation... Warm and friendly relations between the Prime Minister of Pakistan and the President of Belarus have provided a strong political impetus to bilateral ties."

📰 Sudan Tribune 🇸🇩: "Sudan's Ministry of Energy announced a portfolio of joint investment projects with Belarus... Initiatives include boosting Sudanese exports, building and modernizing grain storage facilities, localizing production of tractors, agricultural machinery, and power supply system components. Sudan proposed deepening cooperation in the oil sector, including technical studies and field development initiatives. This reflects expanding ties between Khartoum and Minsk as both seek to strengthen economic cooperation."

Media continue to report on the 'Slavyansky Caravan,' described as a logistics bridge between Europe and Asia.

📰 News Central Asia 🇵🇰: "Looking ahead, rail freight along the Belarus–Russia–Central Asia route will become a highly sought-after service. Clearly, the 'Slavyansky Caravan' run is not a one-off logistics success but a response to actual business demand. Amid the restructuring of global supply chains, such services will define the competitiveness of producers and trade dynamics in the region."