Belarus, a close ally of Russia, has supported its eastern neighbour in the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. Before the start of war, Belarus allowed the Russian Armed Forces to perform weeks-long military drills on its territory, which it did not leave after they were supposed to finish. The country did not oppose it being used as a launching pad for the invasion of Russian troops that started on 24 February, which they actively used as Belarus's border was close to Kyiv, Ukraine's capital.[1][2][3][4]