Belarus has stepped up its military presence on the border with Ukraine, deploying aircraft, air defense troops, anti-aircraft missiles, and soldiers from the radio engineering troops. The move comes after President Alexander Lukashenko announced that nearly a third of the Belarusian army, which numbers about 60,000 troops, would be deployed along the border – AP
According to Lukashenka, the decision was made in response to the increase in the number of Ukrainian troops along the border, although this information has not been independently confirmed. The deployment signals a significant escalation in the region, raising tensions amid Belarus’ close cooperation with Russia over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Ukraine has not confirmed the deployment of Belarusian troops on the 1,084-kilometer-long common border.
Russia has used Belarus – which is heavily dependent on Russian loans and cheap energy – as a staging ground for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, moving troops through Belarusian territory to attack from the north. In 2023, Russia also moved some of its tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus.
On Sunday, Lukashenko called for talks between Russia and Ukraine, but said that Kyiv’s current actions in Russia’s Kursk region prevented the start of a dialogue. He characterized this “escalation” as an attempt to provoke Moscow.
