The armed forces of Belarus deploy infantry fighting vehicles and trucks with troops closer to the Ukrainian border, according to Belarusian OSINT group Belaruski Hayun.
Earlier today, the president of Belarus Aliaksandr Lukashenka ordered the Belarusian military to launch snap combat readiness drills, the Defense Ministry of Belarus reported.
The Defense Ministry did not stipulate how many troops would take part in the maneuvers and how long the military build-up would last in close proximity to Ukraine.
At this point, at least 25 infantry fighting vehicles, 30 MAZ military trucks with personnel and ammunition, 3 120-mm towed mortars Nona-M1, ambulance vehicles, and field kitchen trailers of the 38th air assault brigade have already been deployed to Malaryta and Mokrany in Brest Oblast of southwestern Belarus, which is around 23 km from the Ukrainian border in the northwestern part of Ukraine, according to Belaruski Hayun.
Back in February 2022, the Russian forces used the territory of Belarus to launch a failed assault on Kyiv and its surrounding areas. As a result of the Kyiv offensive, the Russian troops temporarily occupied parts of Kyiv and Zhytomyr regions last spring, having killed numerous Ukrainian civilians in such Kyiv suburbs as Bucha and Irpin. Russia continues using the territory of Belarus to launch missile and kamikaze drone attacks on western and northern regions of Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv.
Related:
- Belarus moves military gear amid fears of new Russian attack on Ukraine – Reuters
- Cruelty, murder, and destruction in Bucha – Euromaidan Press
- Belarus to keep helping Russia but unlikely to send its troops to join Russia’s fighting in Ukraine – ISW
