Belarus summons diplomat over violation of Ukrainian airspace

MOSCOW:

Belarus sent more troops to reinforce its border with Ukraine on Saturday, saying Ukrainian drones violated its airspace during Kiev’s military incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.

Belarus’ foreign ministry summoned Ukraine’s charge d’affaires, called for measures to ensure such incidents do not happen again and suggested that a repeat would prompt Belarus to consider whether Kiev’s diplomatic presence in Minsk was “appropriate”.

President Alexander Lukashenko, speaking at a meeting in eastern Belarus, said air defense forces on Friday shot down several of “about a dozen” Ukrainian drones after they violated Belarusian airspace over the Mogilev region bordering Russia.

Lukashenko, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, said others were later destroyed near the Russian city of Yaroslavl.

“I don’t understand why Ukraine had to do this. We have to look into it,” BelTA news agency quoted him as saying. “But … we made it clear and conveyed to them that any challenge will not go unanswered.”

State TV channel Belarus1 showed footage of what it said were fragments of downed drones.

Belarus’ foreign ministry, in comments also appearing on BelTA, said Minsk had called for “comprehensive measures” to ensure such incidents do not happen again.

“It was pointed out…that if the diplomatic mission of Ukraine in Belarus cannot be effective in preventing such provocations, the Belarusian side will raise the question of the appropriateness of its continued presence in Minsk.”

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Ukraine’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, a state body, wrote on Telegram that the boost in weapons deployments near the border was “an attempt to help Putin and draw the attention of the Ukrainian administration to this area.”

Earlier on Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry said Russian forces had intercepted six drones in the Yaroslavl region.

“Taking into account the situation in Ukraine and the Kursk region of Russia, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces has ordered the reinforcement of troops in the Gomel and Mozyr tactical areas in order to respond to such challenges,” Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said. he said.

“Special operations forces, ground troops and missile forces, including the Polonez and Iskander systems, have been tasked to deploy to the designated areas.”