Russian paratroopers drill in Belarus, 2 die in accident

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia has sent paratroopers to Belarus, in a show of support for its ally amid the tensions over an influx of migrants on the Belarus-Poland border, but two of the Russian soldiers were killed in a parachute accident. The Russian Defense Ministry said that as part of joint war games about 250 Russian paratroopers parachuted into Belarus’ Grodno region. It said later that two paratroopers died of injuries after their parachutes collided and deflated. The Belarusian military said the exercise was intended as a rapid-response readiness test. Russia has strongly supported Belarus amid a tense standoff this week as thousands of migrants and refugees gathered on the Belarusian side of the border with Poland in hopes of crossing into the EU.