Belarus has reinforced its forces along the border with Ukraine following the downing of Ukrainian drones in its airspace, amid the backdrop of a terrorist act carried out by Kyiv forces in the Kursk border region in southwestern Russia. This was stated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during a meeting on military security on Friday. The state news agency "Belta" quoted Lukashenko as saying: "After the events involving these drones, we have reinforced control over the Belarusian-Ukrainian border, as well as redeploying parts of the army units there."
Lukashenko asked military leaders about the current situation at the border and whether all units had been withdrawn to the area where the forces are stationed in case of unexpected events. He added, "I have received the data and I have the relevant maps, and I ask you not only to report on the current situation but also on developments and your proposals on what we will do next."
For his part, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin predicted further armed provocations from Ukraine, stating that Lukashenko has instructed to strengthen the troop presence in the tactical directions of Gomel and Mozyr in the south of the republic, where the border with Ukraine lies. Earlier, Lukashenko mentioned that Ukrainian drones were shot down on August 9, which are believed to be offensive, over Belarusian territory, with another part destroyed by Russians over Russia, describing this as a provocation "that will not go unanswered."
