Belarus apparently gathers troops on border with Ukraine

Ukraine has accused its Russian-allied neighbour Belarus of massing troops on its border with Ukraine. The Foreign Ministry in Kiev said on Sunday that Ukrainian intelligence services had observed that Belarus “has massed a significant number of forces in the Gomel region near the Ukrainian border under the guise of exercises”.

Kiev warned Belarus against making “tragic mistakes” under pressure from Russia. The Belarusian army must stop its “unfriendly acts”. The Foreign Ministry called on the Belarusian armed forces to withdraw their troops from the border and to take a distance from the Ukrainian border that is greater than the range of the Belarusian missile systems.

Wagner fighters in Belarus?

Kyiv also said it had detected the presence of fighters from the Russian mercenary group Wagner, some of whom were taken in by Belarus after the failed uprising of their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in Russia in June 2023.

Ukraine warned that military exercises in the border area posed a threat to “global security” because of the proximity of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. “We stress that Ukraine has never taken and will never take hostile actions against the Belarusian people,” the Foreign Ministry in Kyiv added.

The Foreign Ministry’s statement came against the backdrop of the Ukrainian offensive in the Russian border region of Kursk. Since August 6, Ukraine has reported significant territorial gains there. At the same time, Russia is advancing further in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine speaks of progress in the Kursk region

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday evening, referring to a conversation with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky, that Ukrainian troops had advanced further in the Kursk region. “By one to three kilometers. We have taken control of two more villages,” Zelensky said in his evening message. In another village, “fighting is underway.”

Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko is a close ally and supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin. His country is politically and economically dependent on Russia.

The EU accuses Belarus, among other things, of making its territory available as a staging area for Russian troops. Before the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, Russia had amassed large troop units on Belarusian territory near the Ukrainian border under the guise of a maneuver.