Belarus has deployed additional air defense forces to its border with Ukraine, claiming its southern neighbor poses threats to its "critical infrastructure facilities."
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Meanwhile, Ukraine dismissed Belarus's concerns over its movement of troops and equipment, saying it was forced to do so because Minsk continues to support Russia's invasion.
Belarus on July 29 accused Ukraine of moving forces, weapons, and military equipment toward their joint border and also claimed Kyiv was stepping up drone activity in the area.
Belarus, an ally of Russia in its war with Ukraine, said earlier this week that it had shot down a quadcopter, which had illegally crossed the border from Ukraine "to collect information about the Belarusian border infrastructure."
Ukraine and Belarus share a nearly 1,100-kilometer-long border.
"We are ready to decisively use all available forces and means to protect our territory and the population of the Republic of Belarus from possible provocations in the airspace," Andrey Severinchik, commander of the Belarusian Air Defense Forces, said on June 29 in a statement published on the Defense Ministry's Telegram channel.
Andriy Demchenko, spokesman for Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, dismissed Minsk’s fears of an alleged buildup near the border, noting it was Minsk that allowed Russia to use its territory as a launching pad for its invasion of Ukraine.
Thousands of Russian troops stationed in Belarus poured over the border into Ukraine on February 24, 2022 seeking to move southwest toward Kyiv, the capital. They were stopped and later driven back.
“It is pleasant, of course, that they haven’t forget about our state, but they shouldn’t worry -- Ukraine does not pose a threat. On the contrary, we are forced to defend ourselves, including in the Belarusian direction, because Belarus continues to support terrorists, and at one time opened its border to Russian invaders,” Demchenko told Ukrayinska Pravda.
Following a successful Ukrainian counteroffensive in September 2022 that recaptured large swaths of territory in the northeast, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the mobilization of up to 300,000 men, many of whom were sent to Belarus to train.