Ukrainian Air Force retracts report of Belarusian aircraft violating airspace

The Ukrainian Air Force retracted an earlier statement that an aerial target violated Ukrainian airspace from Belarus on the afternoon of Sept. 24.

The Air Force initially reported that a low-speed aerial target had crossed the border from Belarus near Kyiv and Zhytomyr oblasts at around 2:30 p.m. local time, heading south toward Kyiv Oblast.

Non-state military monitoring groups, including Belarusian Hajun and Monitor, also reported that a  Belarusian Yak-130 combat aircraft had entered Ukrainian airspace.

The plane reportedly crossed the Ukraine-Belarus border at 2:28 p.m. local time near the village of Dyatlyk in Belarus' Homel Oblast, which borders Ukraine's Chernihiv, Kyiv, and Zhytomyr oblasts.

The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims made by the monitoring groups.

Later in the day, Ukraine's Air Force said the detected object was likely a radar jammer, a false target.

Belarus, Moscow's closest ally, hosts Russian troops, missiles, and aircraft but is not directly involved in Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said in an Aug. 15 interview that a third of Belarus' army had been moved to the Ukrainian border earlier this summer.

Speaking to Russia's Rossiya TV channel, Lukashenko claimed the move was in response to a buildup of Ukrainian troops, which he said was triggered by a misinterpretation of Belarus' preparations for its Independence Day celebrations on July 3.

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The Kyiv IndependentMaria Yeryoma