Belarus' Armed Forces are "concentrating a significant number of personnel" as well as weaponry along Ukraine's northern border with Belarus "under the guise of exercises," Ukraine's Foreign Ministry warned on Aug. 25, citing information gathered by the country's intelligence sources.
Minsk is concentrating Special Operation Forces, as well as weaponry, including tanks, artillery, multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS), air defense systems, and engineering equipment near the Belarussian city of Gomel, a statement released by the Foreign Ministry said. The city lies within about 30 kilometers of the Belarus-Ukraine border.
The Foreign Ministry noted that some former Wagner PMC troops were also present in the area.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko previously said he had sent a third of the nation's army to the border this summer. Lukashenko claimed the buildup of troops along the border was the result of a misunderstanding between Belarus and Ukraine.
Belarusian Air Defense Forces Commander, Maj. Gen. Andrey Lukyanovich, said on Aug. 19 that the country deployed additional air defense troops and aircraft to its border with Ukraine.
On Aug. 25, the Foreign Ministry warned Belarus "not to make tragic mistakes for their country under Moscow's pressure," and to immediately withdraw forces away from Ukraine's border.
"We warn that in case of a violation of Ukraine's state border by Belarus, our state will take all necessary measures to exercise the right to self-defense guaranteed by the UN Charter," the Foreign Ministry said in its statement.
"All troop concentrations, military facilities, and supply routes in Belarus will become legitimate targets for the Armed Forces of Ukraine," the statement continued.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry additionally warned that Belarusian troops conducting exercises close to the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, would post "a threat to the national security of Ukraine and global security."
Belarus is Russia’s closest ally and hosts Russian troops and missiles. However, the Belarusian army is not currently directly involved in the invasion of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Security and Defense Council's Center for Countering Disinformation said in May that it predicted the launch of a new Russian psychological operation about the opening of a new front in the north of Ukraine near the Belarusian border, aimed at "stirring up mass panic" in Ukrainian society.
It is unclear if a new risk assessment has been made by Ukraine's military as to the ongoing build up of Belarusian troops along its border. The statement from Ukraine's Foreign Ministry comes as the first published statement on relations between Ukraine and Belarus since September 2023.
Dinara Khalilova
(Updated: )
