(Moscow) Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Monday accused Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine of preparing “terrorist” attacks and an “uprising” in Belarus, and announced the deployment of a “regional” military group with Moscow.
Posted at 9:33 a.m.
“The training in Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine of fighters including Belarusian radicals, to carry out sabotage, terrorist acts and a military uprising in the country, becomes a direct threat,” he said during a meeting with security officials.
“The United States and the European Union say they will legitimize our fugitives as a political force, they plan to seriously strengthen their support for destructive elements and escalate the situation on the western border [biélorusse] to open a second front there,” he added, according to statements quoted by the presidency.
As a result, Minsk and Moscow will deploy a joint military grouping, he said, without specifying their location.
“Yesterday, through unofficial channels, we were warned of a strike in preparation from Ukrainian territory on Belarus,” said Mr. Lukashenko, assuring that Kyiv wanted to make “a Crimean bridge number 2”, in reference to the Russian bridge damaged on Saturday by an explosion.
He said he sent a message to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, urging him not to touch “his dirty paws even a meter of Belarusian territory”.
He also said that last week he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed on the deployment of a joint military group, without saying where it will be deployed and how many men it would be made up of.
“Due to the worsening of the situation on the western borders of the Union [russo-biélorusse]we have agreed to deploy a regional grouping of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus,” Lukashenko said.
“If you want peace, prepare for war,” President Lukashenko said again, while affirming that “there must be no war on the territory of Belarus”.
Belarus, an ally of Russia in its conflict with Ukraine, has already lent its territory to the Russian army for its offensive against Ukraine, but the Belarusian army has not so far taken part in the fighting on Ukrainian territory. .
The entry of Belarusian forces into its neighbor would mark a new escalation of the conflict in Ukraine.