Zelensky sees new Russian attack threat from Belarus

Russia is increasingly using its positions in Belarus for its attacks against Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday after a meeting of all military leaders.

This applies to both drone attacks and missile attacks, he wrote on Facebook, saying that with this new tactic, Russia was trying to bypass Ukraine’s defensive lines.

“It’s risky for Belarus,” he wrote. “It is a shame that Belarus is abandoning its sovereignty in favor of Russia’s aggressive ambitions.”

He said it was difficult to proactively defend against this new direction of attack because Russia had installed all the equipment necessary for strikes on residential buildings.

Antennas and other guidance systems for attacks on targets in Ukraine are now effectively located on the roofs of five-story civilian buildings, he said, citing Ukrainian intelligence services.

“This is absolute disregard for human life. Minsk should stop playing these games.” He said Ukraine’s air defense had been instructed to adjust its strategy.

At the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Belarus provided its territory as a springboard for the ultimately failed advance on kyiv.
Belarusian troops are not actively participating in the fighting, but the potential threat blocks large Ukrainian forces on the common border.