Minsk is concentrating Special Operation Forces, as well as weaponry, including tanks, artillery, multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS), air defence systems, and engineering equipment, near the Belarussian city of Gomel, a statement released by Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry read.
The city lies within about 30 kilometres of the Belarus-Ukraine border.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also noted that some former Wagner PMC troops were also present in the area.
Earlier, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he had sent a third of the nation’s army to the border this summer. He claimed the buildup of troops along the border was the result of a ‘misunderstanding’ between Belarus and Ukraine.
Belarusian Air Defence Forces Commander, Maj Gen Andrey Lukyanovich, also stated, earlier this week, that the country deployed additional air defence troops and aircraft to its border with Ukraine.Kyiv further warned Minsk “not to make tragic mistakes for their country under Moscow’s pressure,” and to immediately withdraw forces away from Ukraine’s border, Kyiv Independent reported.”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 statement read.
“All troop concentrations, military facilities, and supply routes in Belarus will become legitimate targets for the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” it added.
The Ukrainian 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.”
Notably, Belarus is Russia’s close ally and hosts Russian troops and missiles. However, the Belarusian army is not currently directly involved in the invasion of Ukraine, according to Kyiv Independent.
Meanwhile, as many as five people were killed and 13 others were wounded during an overnight Ukrainian strike on Belgorod, Al Jazeera reported, citing officials in the Russian region.
Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced the death toll on the Telegram messaging app on Sunday morning, saying three minors were among those wounded in the attack on the settlement of Rakitnoye.
Notably, Kyiv has increased its strikes inside Russian territory after launching a surprise ground offensive into Russia’s Kursk region two weeks ago.
In a separate incident in Ukraine, the governor of the eastern Donetsk region, Vadym Filashkin, alleged on Sunday that an overnight Russian strike had hit a hotel in Kramatorsk.
Two journalists were wounded in the attack and a third one is missing, Filashkin said, adding that they were British, American and Ukrainian nationals and that a search operation was under way, as reported by Al Jazeera.
