The State Border Committee of Belarus: Ukraine has 15 thousand troops stationed at the border.
Ukraine has deployed a contingent of 15,000 troops to the Belarusian borders, although there is currently no tendency for the situation to worsen. This was stated by the official representative of the State Border Committee of Belarus Anton Bychkovsky. Shortly before that, Belarus had warned about the possibility of extremists seizing one of the country's regions, who plan to declare this territory "free" and demand the deployment of Western troops there.
On January 28, media representatives from Belarus, Russia, the United States, France, China and Poland visited the territory of the currently non-functioning Novaya Guta checkpoint on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border (it was closed in February 2022 after the start of its operation). The trip took place after journalists who came to cover the presidential election complained to President Alexander Lukashenko about the ban on visiting border territories.
Lukashenko reacted to this emotionally.
"I say, 'What are you guys doing? You have invited journalists and forbid them to do anything in Belarus. They don't commit terrorist attacks, do they? - So why are you forbidding them? Call me immediately. If they want to, let them go and take it off. But warn me that it is advisable not to approach the border," Alexander Lukashenko said (quoted by BelTA).
He called the situation on the border with Ukraine "not extreme, but tense."
Anton Bychkovsky, an official representative of the State Border Committee of Belarus, accompanied the journalists on the trip. According to him, the situation on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border tends to normalize.
"Currently, the situation [on the border with Ukraine] is under control. The border service bodies perform tasks in an enhanced version of their duty, without losing their vigilance," he explained.
According to Bychkovsky,
They "behave more calmly and professionally."
At the same time, in 2024, "people in uniform" repeatedly entered Belarus from Ukraine to damage border signs. "There were about forty such provocations," Bychkovsky said.
He also noted that drone flights from the Ukrainian side do not stop for almost a day: in 2024, Belarusian border guards detected more than 350 drones, they flew into the airspace of Belarus at least 20 times. This did not lead to any serious incidents.
"Demonstration of force"
The gathering of 15,000 Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers on the border with Belarus is a demonstration of force, he said in an interview with News.ru State Duma deputy, member of the Parliamentary Defense Committee Andrei Kolesnik.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces indicate their capabilities, that they are ready to fight anywhere: in Kursk, in Belarus, several fronts are open. They demonstrate their capabilities in terms of strength and number of armed forces," the deputy explained.
At the same time, he expressed confidence that the accumulation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the border with Belarus is unlikely to lead to an escalation, since otherwise the Ukrainian army risks "getting bogged down."
"Be vigilant"
Shortly before that, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko called on the citizens of Belarus to be vigilant, as there are "armed groups" near the country's borders that continue to seek to seize part of the territory.
"They have not abandoned their intention to seize any piece of land and set conditions for us. This cannot be allowed. So if something goes wrong, let us know. (...) You should also take care of peace and security. This is a priority for us now," Lukashenko said on January 21 at a meeting with employees of the Minsk Automobile Plant.
Alexander Volfovich, State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus, spoke about the same thing. In an interview with the publication "SAT. Belarus Today," he said that Belarusian extremists abroad and supported by the West are planning to seize the border region of the country in order to declare this territory "free" for Western countries to deploy a certain "peacekeeping contingent" there.
Volfovich pointed out that the "anti-Belarusian campaign" continues to support the radical opposition in order to overthrow the current government. According to him, the training of "militants" is conducted in Poland and on the territory of Ukraine with the involvement of Western specialists.
Alexander Kondratiev
