March 23, Pozirk. Combat drones are spotted in Belarus “very often” as they cross from the Ukrainian territories, Deputy Interior Minister Mikałaj Karpiankoŭ has said in a video posted on the internal troops’ YouTube channel.
Drone incursions into Belarus have been regularly reported since mid-2024 as Russians attack Ukraine yet officials do not usually comment on the incidents.
“They [drones] fall just between the buildings, they fall on the roads with 50-60 meters [of distance] to the houses. . . But, you know, they do not explode,” Karpiankoŭ said.
“Some drones are shot down, and some drones fly in, and we then disarm them,” Karpiankoŭ said. “Well, this is war. . . [drone incursions] happen almost every week.” Not a single house has been destroyed only due to some luck and heroism of the bomb squads, he added.
The official de facto admitted that the Belarusian defense systems cannot cope with this type of drones but did not specify from where they are launched.
Last September, Belarusian air defenses downed several drones over Homiel. Alaksandar Łukašenka admitted drone incursions and claimed that Belarusian air defenses shoot down UAVs regardless of their Russian or Ukrainian origin.
Later, authorities refused to introduce additional security measures in Homiel region’s Chojniki district, whose residents signed a petition to express concern about their children’s safety.
In late February, a Russian drone reportedly hit a high-voltage power line and caused a large-scale heat outage in the Homiel region’s Mazyr. The incident was the first confirmed case of damage to the Belarusian energy system by drones.
