The self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and Belarusian troops. Photo: AFP via Getty Images

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has stated that under the pretext of military exercises, a large number of soldiers and equipment of the Belarusian Armed Forces have gathered near the Belarusian-Ukrainian border. Former members of the Russian private military company Wagner (PMC) were also seen in the same area. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry urged Belarus not to make a tragic mistake under pressure from Moscow.

source: Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

Quote from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine: “According to Ukrainian intelligence services, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, under the pretext of military training, are gathering a large number of military personnel, in particular special forces, as well as weapons and military equipment, including tanks, artillery, multiple rocket launchers, air defense systems and combat engineer equipment, near the northern border of Ukraine in Gomel Oblast. Mercenaries who previously served in the PMC Wagner have also been spotted there.

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Military exercises in the border area and near a nuclear facility, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, pose a threat to Ukraine’s national security as well as to global security.

We call on Belarusian politicians to avoid mistakes under pressure from Moscow that would have tragic consequences for their own country, and we call on the Belarusian armed forces to stop their hostile maneuvers and move their troops away from the state border of Ukraine to a distance that exceeds the range of Belarusian weapons systems.”

Details: The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stressed that Ukraine has never taken and will not take any unfriendly measures against the Belarusian people.

“We warn (Belarus) that in the event of a violation of the Ukrainian border by Belarus, our country will take all necessary measures to exercise the right to self-defense guaranteed by the UN Charter. In this case, any group of troops, any military facility and any military supply route in Belarus would be legitimate targets for the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the ministry said.

background:

• On August 18, Alexander Lukashenko, the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, said his country had sent about a third of its army to the Ukrainian border because there were more than 120,000 Ukrainian soldiers there.
• On August 15, Lukashenko said in an interview that in the event of aggression against Minsk, Russia would send its troops to Belarus to provide military support.

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