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| Belarusian Army Joins Russian Troops to Near Ukraine |
Minsk - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has ordered troops to be deployed alongside Russian troops near Ukraine, Monday (10/10/2022). The move was taken in response to what he said was a real threat to Belarus from Kiev and its supporters in the West.
The remarks from Lukashenko, who has held power in Belarus since 1994, point to the potential for a further escalation of the war in Ukraine, possibly with a joint Russian-Belarus force in northern Ukraine.
"The attack on the territory of Belarus was not only discussed in Ukraine today, but is also being planned," Lukashenko said at a security meeting, as quoted by Reuters. "The owners pushed them to start a war against Belarus to drag us there," he continued. "We have been preparing for this for decades. If necessary, we will respond," Lukashenko said.
He also admitted to having spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the situation during a meeting in St Petersburg. Lukashenko said he had agreed with Putin to deploy a regional military group, and had started uniting forces two days ago.
This agreement appears to have been reached after attacks on the Russian road and rail bridge to Crimea on Saturday morning. According to Lukashenko, warnings were sent to Belarus through unofficial channels that Ukraine was planning a "Crimea Bridge 2", although he did not provide details.
"My answer is simple: 'Tell the president of Ukraine and other madmen: if they touch one meter of our territory, then the Crimean Bridge will look like a walk in a park," he stressed. The Belarusian army has about 60,000 personnel. Earlier this year, Belarus deployed 6 tactical-battalion groups, totaling several thousand people, to the border area.
On Sunday, the head of the Belarusian border guard accused Ukraine of provocation at the border. Russian troops used Belarus as a staging post for their February 24 invasion of Ukraine, sending troops and equipment into northern Ukraine from bases in Belarus.