A Ukrainian military expert said he observed “no signs of concentration of forces and equipment on the Belarusian side of the border”. Such an offensive is “unlikely”.
Ukrainian soldiers (illustration.) (AFP / TETIANA DZHAFAROVA)
Ukraine deployed “unprecedented” forces in its northern part, on the border with Belarus, evoking on Thursday May 21 the threat of a new attack from the territory of this state allied with Russia.
These measures, “unprecedented in the quantity of forces and resources deployed”, according to the security services (SBU), aim to
“constitute an effective means of deterrence against any action
or aggressive operation of the (Russian) enemy and its ally”. The police, army, national guard and border guards are affected by this deployment. Five regions, notably those of Cherniguiv, Kiev and Rivne, are concerned. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky immediately declared that he was in Slavoutych, in the north of his country, where he discussed with local officials the construction of defensive structures.
Belarus and Russia “must clearly feel that there will be consequences if there are aggressive actions against Ukraine,” he said on Telegram. On Monday, the Kremlin brushed aside Ukrainian allegations that Moscow was preparing to involve Minsk in the conflict.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko assured Thursday that
his country posed “no threat to anyone”
but that he was ready to defend Russia “by all possible means”.
Kiev menacée ?
For several weeks, Ukraine has said it fears that Russia will use Belarus to launch a new offensive from the north, including towards the capital. She had already expressed similar fears in 2023 and 2024 without them materializing.
On the other hand, at the start of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022,
Belarus had allowed Russian troops to launch a vast attack from its soil
in the north of Ukrainian territory towards kyiv.
Russia and Belarus have been carrying out military exercises involving Russian nuclear forces since Tuesday, which are due to end on Thursday. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that the army had successfully carried out test firings of the nuclear-capable Kinjal, Yars, Sineva and Iskander-M missiles, as well as the Zircon hypersonic missile.
Questioned by the
AFP
on the probability of an offensive from Belarus, Ukrainian military expert Serguiï Zgourets considered that such a scenario was improbable and said he observed “no sign of concentration of forces and equipment on the Belarusian side of the border”. According to him, the Ukrainian announcements should be taken as “preventive information measures” aimed at Moscow.
