Kyiv demands Belarus pull back troops from the border, warns of retaliation if border violated

Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a stern warning to Belarus over alleged hostile actions and military buildup near the Ukrainian border. In a statement released on the evening of 25 August, the ministry called on Belarus to withdraw its troops from the border area to a distance exceeding the range of its available weapons systems.

Referring to Ukrainian intelligence agencies, the Ministry says the Armed Forces of Belarus are concentrating a significant number of personnel, including Special Operations Forces, as well as weapons and military equipment in the Homyel Oblast near Ukraine’s northern borders “under the guise of exercises.” The military hardware reportedly includes tanks, artillery, multiple rocket launcher systems, air defense systems, and engineering equipment. The presence of Russia’s former Wagner PMC mercenaries has also been recorded.

The Homyel or Gomel region borders on Russia’s Bryansk Oblast, and Ukraine’s Chernihiv and Kyiv oblasts. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russia used Belarus’ Homyel Oblast as a staging ground for its unsuccessful offensives against Kyiv and Chernihiv, launching missiles from the region and utilizing Belarusian airfields in the area.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry expressed concern that conducting military exercises in the border zone and in close proximity to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant poses threats to both Ukraine’s national security and global security.

“We call on the officials of the Republic of Belarus not to make tragic mistakes for their own country under pressure from Moscow,” the statement says, urging the Belarusian armed forces to “cease hostile actions and withdraw troops from the state border of Ukraine” to a distance exceeding the range of destruction of the fire systems available in Belarus.

The ministry emphasized that Ukraine has never taken and does not intend to take any hostile actions against the Belarusian people. However, it warned,

“We warn that in the event of a violation of Ukraine’s state border by Belarus, our state will take all necessary measures to exercise the right to self-defense guaranteed by the UN Charter. At the same time, all troop concentrations, military facilities and supply routes on the territory of Belarus will be legitimate targets for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”

Several days ago, Lukashenka said that he moved nearly a third of his army to the border with Ukraine. Meanwhile, Belarusian officials confirmed their significantly increased military presence along the Belarusian border with Ukraine, with the deployment of additional aircraft, air defense troops, and anti-aircraft missiles.

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