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Belarus must pull its troops back from the Ukrainian border and “cease unfriendly actions” or risk becoming further embroiled in the war, Kyiv warned in a statement issued late Sunday.
“We warn Belarusian officials not to make tragic mistakes for their country under Moscow’s pressure,” the Ukrainian foreign ministry said.
The statement noted intelligence reports that Belarus was amassing “a significant number of personnel, including Special Operations Forces, weapons, and military equipment” as well as mercenaries of the former Wagner private military company in Belarus’ Gomel region bordering Ukraine, “under the guise of exercises.”
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said earlier this month that he had deployed nearly one-third of his country’s armed forces to the border with Ukraine, telling state-run TV the move came in response to Kyiv amassing troops near its border with Belarus.
Kyiv’s statement rejected that pretext, with the foreign ministry saying, “We emphasize that Ukraine has never taken and is not going to take any unfriendly actions against the Belarusian people.”
Under Lukashenko, an ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Belarus has allowed Moscow’s troops to attack Ukraine through its territory. Russia has also stationed nuclear weapons in Belarus. Lukashenko, meanwhile, congratulated Ukraine on its independence day over the weekend, wishing its people “a peaceful sky and civil accord, prosperity for their generous country, and family unity.”
Ukraine’s statement noted the Belarusian troop deployment was concentrated in an area near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, warning: “Conducting exercises in the border area and in close proximity to the nuclear power facility … poses a threat to the national security of Ukraine and global security in general.”
Kyiv urged Belarus to “cease unfriendly actions and withdraw forces away from Ukraine’s state border to a distance greater than the firing range of Belarus’ systems.”
The statement concluded: “We warn that in case 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. Consequently, all troop concentrations, military facilities, and supply routes in Belarus will become legitimate targets for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”
