Ukraine says it ‘reinforced’ border with Belarus
Kiev has amassed troops on its northern border with Belarus, a top Ukrainian military commander has revealed. Brigadier General Alexei Gromov acknowledged, however, that as of yet there is no sign of an enemy strike force ready for an offensive in the neighboring country.
Speaking at a media briefing on Thursday, Gromov, the deputy commander of the Main Operations Department of Ukraine’s General Staff, said: “At present, we don’t see the actual formation of an offensive enemy group” in Belarus.
He went on to warn, however, that “there are threats and they will remain.”
He assured Ukrainians that the country’s military is keeping a close watch on the neighboring state and “has reinforced” its presence on the northern border.
Gromov’s statement comes after Kiev and Minsk have each accused the other in recent weeks of plotting a military provocation on the border.
Ukrainian officials have claimed, among other things, that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had launched a secret mobilization in his country.
Speaking to journalists last Friday, however, the Belarusian leader denied those allegations, insisting that Belarus will not be involved in a military conflict unless other nations encroach on its territory.
“We’re not going to go anywhere today. No war at present. We don’t need it,” Belarus’ state media outlet Belta quoted Lukashenko as saying.
Earlier this month, the Belarusian president announced the deployment of a joint Russian-Belarusian contingent in the country. He cited “heightened tensions” on the country’s borders as the reason for the move at the time.
Last Monday, the authorities in Minsk revealed that several thousand Russian military personnel along with 170 tanks, up to 200 armored vehicles, and up to 100 artillery guns would arrive in the country as part of the mission.
Valery Revenko, an aide to the Belarusian defense minister, attributed the creation of the allied force to the “deployment of NATO forces near [their] borders amid a lack of dialogue.”
