Ukraine border force does not exclude possibility Belarus could join Russia war bid

Kyiv does not rule out the possibility that Moscow could at some point use the armed forces of Russian ally Belarus in the war against Ukraine, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian State Border Service said on Wednesday.

Speaking after the Belarusian armed forces began large-scale drills, spokesperson Andriy Demchenko said: “We do not rule out
that the Russian Federation could at some point use the territory of Belarus, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, against Ukraine. Therefore, we are ready.”

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The armed forces of Belarus began sudden large-scale drills on Wednesday to test their combat readiness, according to the Belarusian defense ministry.

“It is planned that the (combat readiness) test will involve the movement of significant numbers of military vehicles, which can slow down traffic on public roads,” the Belarusian ministry said in a statement.

Against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ministry said the exercise posed no threat to its neighbors or the European community in general.

Belarus is a close ally of Russia. Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special military operation.”

Read more: Belarus says surprise army drills no threat to neighbors