MINSK: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Sunday that Minsk has deployed nearly a third of its armed forces along the border with Ukraine in response to what he described as an aggressive posture from Kyiv, the Belta state news agency reported.
According to Belta, Lukashenko said that Ukraine has stationed more than 120,000 troops along its border with Belarus. In response, Belarus has positioned a significant portion of its military forces along the entire border.
While Lukashenko did not specify the exact number of Belarusian troops deployed, the Belarusian military consists of approximately 48,000 professional soldiers and around 12,000 state border troops, based on the 2022 International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Military Balance.
In an interview with Russian state television, Lukashenko highlighted the need for this deployment as a precautionary measure against what he characterized as Ukraine’s aggressive policy. “Seeing their aggressive policy, we have introduced there and placed in certain points – in case of war, they would be defence – our military along the entire border,” Lukashenko said.
The announcement comes in the wake of a major Ukrainian incursion into Russian territory, which began on August 6. Thousands of Ukrainian troops breached Russia’s western border in what has been described as a significant blow to the Russian military leadership. This incursion has heightened regional tensions and drawn a stern reaction from Russia and its allies.
Belarusian Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin also commented on the situation, stating on Friday that there is a high possibility of an armed provocation from Ukraine. He described the situation at the Belarus-Ukraine border as “tense” and said that Belarus has heightened its defensive measures.
Lukashenko further claimed that the Belarusian-Ukrainian border is now more heavily fortified with mines than ever before, warning that any attempt by Ukrainian troops to cross the border would result in significant losses for them.
Kyiv, however, has yet to acknowledge these claims. A request for comment from Ukrainian officials was not immediately answered. On Saturday, Ukrainian authorities stated that they had not observed any unusual troop movements by Belarusian forces at the border.
