Belarus confirms downing drone during Russian attack on Ukraine
Belarus' military confirmed the downing of a drone early on Sept. 5, shortly after the monitoring group Belarusian Hajun reported that Belarus had downed two Russian attack drones.
According to Belarusian Hajun, the drones were downed near the city of Homel, located around 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the border with Ukraine's Chernihiv Oblast.
The air alert was active in Chernihiv Oblast from 11 p.m. on Sept. 4 to 10 a.m. on Sept. 5 due to the threat of Russian drones.
Belarus recorded an airspace violation of its state border, "presumably by unmanned aerial vehicles," Sergei Frolov, Belarus' chief of the General Staff and first deputy commander of the Air Force, said in a statement.
"Due to the timely actions of the anti-aircraft defense forces, all violators were destroyed," Frolov claimed, adding that the authorities are conducting an investigation.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko claimed on Aug. 9 that several Ukrainian drones were downed over Belarus, calling the incident "a Ukrainian provocation."
Belarusian Hajun said the claim was false and that no Ukrainian drones had been detected.
According to Belarusian Hajun, there have been multiple cases of Russian Shahed-type drones flying off course to Belarus over the past weeks.
At least six Russian drones reportedly entered the Belarusian airspace during a recent mass attack on Ukraine on Aug. 26.
Minsk has never publicly raised objections to Moscow – its key ally – over the reported incidents.
