Belarus could allow Russian forces to deploy to prepared bases, Ukraine warns

There is currently no recorded buildup of Russian troops on the territory of Belarus; however, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko may in the future allow Russia to redeploy forces to already prepared bases.

Andrii Demchenko, spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, said this in a television interview, according to Ukrinform.

“Statements from Belarus (regarding alleged incursions of Ukrainian drones into Belarus – ed.) should not be overreacted to, when they accuse Ukraine of something, but we must be ready for any developments, because all of this can later be used to justify further aggression. … We must maintain strong defensive positions along the entire border with Belarus. This applies to the Volyn region, Chernihiv region, and other regions bordering that country,” Demchenko said.

Responding to questions about whether there are signs of enemy force buildup in Belarus, he noted that none is currently observed near the border. At the same time, he stressed that Russia could deploy troops at any moment, and Belarus could provide its territory and infrastructure for this purpose.

“As of now, based on technical surveillance systems we use, we do not see any forces accumulating in close proximity to our border,” he added.

Read also: “Madiar”: Ukraine has identified 500 potential targets in Belarus in case of escalation by Lukashenko

As reported by Ukrinform, Belarusian Security Council officials accused Ukraine of allegedly sending drones into Belarus more than 100 times in a week. Ukraine has rejected such claims as unfounded and an attempt to shift responsibility.