Minsk 13:42

Ukraine’s senior intelligence official: war cannot break out instantly via Belarus  

Vadym Skibitsky
(apostrophe.ua)

July 10, Pozirk. It is impossible for a war to break out instantly from Belarusian territory, Vadym Skibitsky, deputy head of the main intelligence directorate at Ukraine’s defense ministry, told apostrophe.ua.

Russians could deploy their troops to Belarus in about one week, but right now, there are no significant Russian forces in Belarus, he added.

Alaksandar Łukašenka does not want to be directly involved in the war, and the Belarusian army is not ready for such a scenario, Skibitsky noted. “Łukašenka understands that being drawn into the war, let alone Belarus’ direct participation in it, could be a disaster for the state,” he said.

Ukrainian intelligence obtained documents indicating that inspections conducted by the Belarusian defense ministry revealed significant shortcomings, suggesting the country’s armed forces remain far below the standard required to wage or effectively participate in a high-level conflict, the official said.

Skibitsky warned that Russia could use Belarusian territory without the consent of the country’s current authorities. He added that Russia has infrastructure in Belarus for deploying military equipment and command-and-control systems, which could enable more effective strikes on Ukraine.

Belarus has become heavily dependent on Russia, with more than 20 companies in the country’s defense industry now operating in cooperation with Moscow, he said, adding that “operational upgrades” are underway at facilities on Belarusian territory.

In February 2022, Russia started a full-scale war against Ukraine in which the Belarusian authorities supported the Kremlin, allowing Russian troops to attack Ukraine from Belarus on multiple occasions and supplying arms to Moscow.

Belarus disabled drone control relay systems, Ukrainian official says

July 1, Pozirk. The Belarus-based drone control relay systems that Russia uses to strike Ukraine with its Shahed drones have been disabled, Andriy Demchenko, spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, told reporters on July 1. His comments …

Envoy: Kyiv to neutralize threats in Belarus remotely if tensions escalate

June 26, Pozirk. Ukraine has no plans to deploy troops into Belarus if tensions escalate, Yaroslav Chornohor, the Ukrainian foreign ministry’s special envoy for relations with Belarusian pro-democracy forces, told Deutsche Welle. “We have no need for foreign territory,” he …
Share: