Ukraine's border with Belarus in Zhytomyr Oblast "sealed entirely", says head of oblast administration

Vitalii Bunechko, Head of the Zhytomyr Oblast Military Administration, believes the chances of a Russian offensive across Zhytomyr Oblast are "very small," because the border is well protected, particularly by fortifications, and heavily mined.

Source: Bunechko in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine news agency

Quote: "The border with the Republic of Belarus in Zhytomyr Oblast has been completely sealed!

Our fortifications are fully operational, and if the enemy attempts to enter from the northern border, our platoons, company strongholds, and obstacle courses are ready to meet them."

Details: According to Bunechko, the fortification work is 99% complete: "in some places the workers are correcting their mistakes; in certain locations, we are conducting an examination to check the quality [of fortifications]."

Why it matters: Alexander Lukashenko, the self-proclaimed President of Belarus, continues to escalate the information landscape with aggressive remarks to please the Kremlin. Ukraine's State Border Guard Service (SBGS) has repeatedly denied his claims.

Background:

• On 18 August, Alexander Lukashenko reported that his country had sent about a third of its Armed Forces to the Ukrainian border due to "the presence of more than 120,000 Ukrainian soldiers there".
• On the evening of 25 August, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reported the concentration of a significant number of Belarusian Armed Forces personnel and equipment near the border with Ukraine under the guise of exercises, as well as the presence of former Wagner Group fighters, and urged Belarus not to make tragic mistakes under Moscow's pressure.
• The Belarusian independent monitoring group Belaruski Hajun noted that the grouping of Belarusian troops on the border with Ukraine numbers about 1,100 people and does not pose a threat for Ukraine.
• The SBGS reported that the situation near the border with Belarus remained unchanged and under control as of 26 August, with no redeployment of military forces or equipment recorded there.

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