Shahed drone flights drop along Belarus border: Has Russia abandoned this route?
Photo: Do Shahed drones still fly along the Belarus border? (Getty Images)
Ukrainian border guards have not observed mass flights of Shahed drones along the Belarus-Ukraine border over the past week, State Border Guard Service spokesperson Andriy Demchenko said in a comment to RBC-Ukraine.
Has Russia abandoned northern attack routes?
"Overall, if we talk about the past week, Shahed drone incursions over the Chernihiv region have decreased somewhat," Demchenko said.
However, he noted that Russia has not abandoned this route via Ukraine’s northern border.
"But if we talk about mass flights, especially along the border with Belarus, these were most actively observed during large-scale attacks on Ukraine at the beginning and middle of June," he emphasized.
Have Russian relay stations been removed?
Last Friday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave the Belarusian regime one week to remove Russian relay stations used to guide Shahed drones along the border.
Demchenko said he could not confirm whether the Belarusian side had complied with the demand, as border guards lack the necessary equipment to verify it.
"Only those authorities and structures that have the technical capability to monitor Belarusian territory can make such assessments," he concluded.
Changes observed in Belarus
The Belarusian media outlet Flagstok reported that after Zelenskyy’s ultimatum, drones have been flying along the border less frequently, and over the past three days, no such activity has been observed at all. It suggests that Alexander Lukashenko’s regime may have switched off the relay stations.
The Ukrainian President’s ultimatum is set to expire this Friday. As Zelenskyy warned, if the Belarusian regime does not dismantle the relay stations, the Ukrainian military will do so.
The European Union has backed Ukraine’s position, stressing that Ukraine has the right to self-defense and that the Belarusian regime is assisting Russia in its war.
