October 17, Pozirk. Russia would like to deploy ballistic weapons in Belarus, which would be a threat to western Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on October 17 during an online briefing on WhatsApp.
“We know that they are installing relay systems in Belarus to use the corridor for drones and intensify attacks,” Zelensky said. “But that is not enough for them. They need Alaksandar Łukašenka’s support in order to deploy ballistic weapons in Belarus as well. And the deployment of ballistic weapons in Belarus is primarily a threat to the west [western Ukraine].”
Zelensky warned Belarus against this scenario, stressing that it would mean the country’s “direct participation in the war” and would be dangerous for Belarusian people.
Oleh Ivashchenko, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s defense ministry, said on September 7 that although Kyiv is monitoring Russia’s attempts to directly draw Belarus into its war against Ukraine, there are currently no signs that Minsk is preparing to enter it.
At the same time, Ukraine is concerned that Belarus has allowed relay systems for Russia’s drone attacks on civilian and critical infrastructure to be deployed in its territory, Ivashchenko said.
Ukraine also notes the deployment of units of the 101st Missile Brigade of Russia’s Armed Forces in the Belarusian territory, which is armed with the Oreshnik medium-range missile system, Ivashchenko said.
If this happened without Belarus’ permission, Minsk no longer controls Russia’s activities in its own territory, he concluded.
In February 2022, Russia started a full-scale war against Ukraine in which the Belarusian authorities sided with the Kremlin, allowing Russian troops to attack Ukraine from Belarus on multiple occasions, supplying weapons to Moscow and providing other kinds of assistance.
