The U.S. sees no sign that Belarusian troops are being sent to Ukraine. On March 1, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
“There is no evidence that Belarusian troops are entering Ukraine,” he said.
According to him, the US military saw no signs of this.
Earlier Tuesday, the UK imposed new sanctions on four individuals and two entities in Belarus for allegedly assisting Russia in an operation to protect Donbass. The personal sanctions list includes Deputy Ministers of Defense of Belarus Andrei Zhuk, Andrei Burdyko and Sergei Simonenko, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Belarus Viktor Gulevich.
On the same day, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko announced the readiness of Belarus’ air defense systems in order to prevent “stabs in the back” of Russian troops. He stressed that the country does not plan to take part in Russia’s special operation to protect Donbass.
On February 26, Lukashenka said that Moscow and Minsk are not afraid of Western sanctions, since Russia and Belarus are “so intimidated by them that there is no fear.”
The situation in Donbass escalated on February 17, 2022. In the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, heavy shelling by Ukrainian security forces was reported, including from heavy weapons. The republics announced a general mobilization and evacuation of civilians to the territory of Russia.
On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees recognizing the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (LPR and DPR). Also, the Russian leader and the heads of both republics Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin signed agreements on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance. The documents were ratified the next day.
On February 24, Putin announced a special operation to protect the civilian population of Donbass. After that, the Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of hitting the country’s military infrastructure and introduced martial law throughout Ukraine. He also said that Kyiv is breaking off diplomatic relations with Moscow and withdrawing its diplomats from the embassy.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
