{"id":176636,"date":"2026-02-20T22:47:29","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T19:47:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/176636\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"belarus-says-it-downs-drones-as-kyiv-accuses-minsk-of-aiding-russian-attacks","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/176636\/","title":{"rendered":"Belarus says it downs drones as Kyiv accuses Minsk of aiding Russian attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

February 20, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> Belarusian troops regularly use aircraft and surface-to-air missile systems to destroy drones that enter the country\u2019s airspace, according to Andrej \u0141ukjanovi\u010d, commander of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the beginning of this year, Belarus has recorded a significant number of airspace violations and incursions, including by attack drones with payload, \u0141ukjanovi\u010d said. Forces on standby have scrambled aircraft and deployed anti-aircraft missile units to destroy unmanned aerial vehicles, he added, without specifying where the drones originated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement comes a few days after Kyiv accused Minsk of directly supporting Russian drone attacks on Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia had deployed relay stations in Belarus in the second half of 2025 to improve drone control. According to him, the stations enhanced the Russian army\u2019s ability to strike Ukraine\u2019s northern regions, including Kyiv and Volyn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus has frequently reported drone incursions, particularly last year, and several incidents have already been recorded this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On February 11, the news website Flagshtok reported, citing Ukrainian monitoring channels, that Russian combat drones had strayed into Belarusian territory on at least three occasions since the start of the month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the morning of July 29, the news website Zerkalo <\/em>reported that a drone crashed into a high-rise building in Minsk, fell onto a parked car and exploded. The defense ministry acknowledged the incident about an hour after it appeared in the media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In early August, Flagshtok reported that authorities evacuated residents from private homes near a metalware factory in Re\u010dyca around midnight on August 3 following a drone crash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, Belarusian authorities regularly tested the public warning system, particularly in the southern part of the country, which faces frequent incursions by Russian drones targeting Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Minsk supported the Kremlin by allowing Russian troops to attack Ukraine from Belarusian territory on multiple occasions and by supplying arms to Moscow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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