Lukashenko claims Ukrainian drones entered Belarus, threatens retaliation
Photo: Oleksandr Lukashenko (Getty Images)
The self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has accused Ukraine of violating Belarusian airspace. He claims that Ukrainian drones were allegedly shot down in Belarus, according to Belta
He claims that yesterday evening, Belarusian air and missile defense forces were put on high alert. According to Lukashenko, around a dozen drones were allegedly detected in Belarus.
Lukashenko reported that at 7:04 PM, air defense forces "destroyed several targets" over Belarusian territory at an altitude of 1.5 kilometers.
"Overnight and this morning, a search is underway for what was destroyed. We suspect they were strike drones. After violating Belarusian airspace, they were flying from Ukraine," he said.
The self-proclaimed president claimed that some of the targets over Belarus were destroyed, while others were "handed over" to Russia. According to Lukashenko, the drones were initially flying towards Smolensk but then changed course towards the Yaroslavl region, where Russian air defense systems intercepted them.
Lukashenko also issued a warning, stating that "any provocations will not go unanswered."
It’s worth noting that today, on August 10, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed a drone attack on two regions — Kursk and Yaroslavl. Moscow asserts that Russian air defense shot down 26 drones in the Kursk region and six in Yaroslavl.
Belarus supports Russia
Belarus has supported Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion. In the early days of the war, Russian troops entered Ukraine from Belarusian territory. Additionally, Russian forces were stationed in Belarus, and some of them remain there to this day.
It’s worth noting that the monitoring group Belaruski Hajun reported that throughout July, at least nine Russian kamikaze drones entered Belarus, which Russia used to attack Ukraine.
