Peskov: concentration of the Armed Forces of Belarus is a problem not only for Minsk, but also for Moscow
Reports of an increase in the number of Ukrainian troops on the border with Belarus are a cause for concern not only for Minsk, but also for Moscow, the Kremlin said. The General Staff of Belarus earlier announced the activity of Ukrainian troops on the border with the republic. It is claimed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are pulling together personnel and weapons, mining and "building up engineering barriers" are taking place near the border. Because of this, Minsk is forced to move Belarusian servicemen to the border and "prepare for a cover-up."
The information that the Ukrainian military is pulling personnel, weapons and equipment to the border with Belarus worries Russia. This was stated by the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov.
"Belarus is a union state, and we have a special format of dialogue between all relevant departments, including special services. And our defense ministries are in constant partnership contact. Therefore, this is, of course, a cause for concern not only for Minsk, but also for Moscow," Peskov told reporters.
When asked whether the presidents of the Russian Federation and Belarus, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko, will discuss the situation on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, including at the SCO summit, Peskov replied: "If they deem it necessary, they will be able to do it, because they will see each other there."
Belarusians saw a big threat
A "coalition of Western countries" is trying to involve Belarus in the conflict in Ukraine, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said on June 29. The ministry claims that the concentration of weapons and personnel in the Armed Forces of Ukraine is underway on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border, mining and "building up engineering barriers" are underway.
American infantry fighting vehicles, heavy long-range artillery, multiple rocket launchers and electronic reconnaissance surveillance systems were allegedly deployed in the Zhytomyr region.
"The military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are constantly engaged in PR for allegedly building defensive positions... they are trying to show everyone that they are supposedly preparing to defend themselves. But we know for sure that there are passages in a number of mine-explosive barriers, they have equipped them," said Colonel Vadim Lukashevich, Deputy commander of the special operations forces for ideological work.
In his opinion, in the future, the Armed Forces of Ukraine want to be able to penetrate through these passages into the Belarusian territory, "in order to carry out sabotage and terrorist acts on our Belarusian land."
There is "unjustified and still incomprehensible activity on the border with Ukraine," said the chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Belarus, First Deputy Minister of Defense, Major General Pavel Muraveyko.
According to him, special forces units of the 1st presidential brigade arrived in the Ukrainian city of Ovruch.
The Ministry of Defense of Belarus reported a sharp increase in the number of UAV flights conducting reconnaissance in border areas.
"We are facing provocations on the actions of unmanned aircraft at the tactical level, which violates our state border," Muraveyko stressed.
The Russian Volunteer Corps is conducting reconnaissance in the border area (the organization is recognized as a terrorist organization and is banned in Russia), the Border Committee of Belarus said.
It is alleged that on June 26, border guards shot down a Ukrainian drone in the Yelsky district of the Gomel region.
"Video files were found on the UAV's flash card, the analysis of which indicates that the aircraft was conducting reconnaissance of industrial facilities located on the border territory, as well as border infrastructure," the Border Committee of Belarus said in a statement.
The day before, according to border guards, a cache with components for the manufacture of improvised explosive devices was found in the same area.
Minsk was forced to move Belarusian military personnel to the border, "build up certain areas and prepare for cover," the country's Defense Ministry said. They also said that the agency is checking the combat readiness of its Armed Forces in the border areas, additional air defense forces and equipment have been pulled up to the border, and a system of visual surveillance posts has been increased.
"We are ready for any provocations, we are ready to fight back against any opponent. The population of the Republic of Belarus can be confident that the units of the special operations forces will do everything possible and even impossible to protect the Republic of Belarus," Lukashevich said.
The State Border Service of Ukraine stated that the border with Belarus remains a "threatening direction" for Kiev.
"We continue to strengthen it both from an engineering point of view and to keep the necessary amount of forces and means there in order to prevent any actions that may come from the territory of Belarus," said department spokesman Andrei Demchenko.
According to him, Belarus has been checking the combat readiness of its military units since June 21, this may be "one of the components to transfer responsibility to Ukraine."
Alexey Permyakov
