Ukraine’s border guards don’t rule out increased risks from Belarus-Russia training
Russia and Belarus military exercises threaten Ukraine’s security (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
The threat at the Ukraine-Belarus border is expected to increase as military exercises involving Russia approach, according to Andrii Demchenko, spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
He noted that attention is always given to the border with Belarus. However, currently, no significant changes have been observed in this area.
The spokesperson emphasized that we pay great attention to this direction, and this will continue until Belarus stops supporting Russia.
“At the same time, as of now, no changes have been recorded directly along our border in the Belarusian border area. As before, Belarus continues to maintain a certain number of its units. This is a small number, and it has been this way since 2022,” Demchenko said.
Military exercises in Belarus
Joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises called Zapad-2025 are scheduled for mid-September. The Kremlin described the maneuvers as purely defensive, aimed at practicing responses to possible aggression against the Union State.
However, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, did not rule out the secret formation of offensive enemy groups.
Recently, Demchenko stated that, currently, there are no strike groups formed in Belarus that threaten Ukraine. At the same time, he said, as the exercises approach in September, threats could emerge, including possible provocations.
In May, Oleksandr Lukashenko announced that the exercises would be moved deeper into the country, away from the borders with Poland and Lithuania. The reason was concerns expressed by Warsaw and Vilnius over the planned maneuvers.
