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| Ukrainian Military Deploys Troops Near Belarusian Border |
Kiev - Ukraine has assembled troops on the northern border with Belarus. The move was revealed by the Ukrainian Military Commander Brigadier General Alexei Gromov. However, according to him, until now there has been no sign of enemy troops ready to attack in neighboring countries.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday (10/27/2022), Gromov, who is deputy commander of the General Staff of the Main Operations Department of Ukraine said, "At the moment, we do not see the actual formation of an offensive enemy group in Belarus." He warned, "After all, there are threats and they will remain." He assured Ukraine that the country's military kept a close watch on its neighbors and "has strengthened" its presence on its northern border.
Gromov's remarks came after Kiev and Minsk each accused the other in recent weeks of plotting military provocations at the border. Ukrainian officials claim, among other things, that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has launched a covert mobilization in his country.
Speaking to reporters last Friday, however, the Belarusian leader denied the allegations. Lukashenko insisted Belarus would not engage in a military conflict unless another country encroached on its territory. "We're not going anywhere today. There is no war at this time. We don't need it," Lukashenko was quoted as saying by Belarusian state media Belta. Earlier this month, the Belarusian president announced the deployment of a joint Russian-Belarusian contingent in the country. He cited "escalating tensions" on the country's borders as the reason for the move at the time. .
Last Monday, authorities in Minsk revealed several thousand Russian military personnel along with 170 tanks, up to 200 armored vehicles and up to 100 artillery guns would arrive in the country as part of the mission. The aide to Belarusian Defense Minister Valery Revenko attributed the formation of allied forces to "the deployment of NATO troops near (their) borders amid a lack of dialogue."