Zelensky asks the army to be ready at the border with Belarus

2023-01-12 07:45:53Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Zelensky asks the army to be ready at the border with Belarus

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on January 11 that Ukrainian forces "must be ready" on the border with neighboring Belarus.

"Apart from the statements, we don't see anything powerful there, but we still have to be ready both at the border and in the regions," he said.

Zelensky made the remarks after a visit to a western region of Ukraine, where he discussed border defense amid speculation about the potential for a Russian offensive through Belarus.

Britain's Ministry of Defense in its latest intelligence update has analyzed the announcement of joint air exercises between Russia and Belarus to be held in the second half of January and downplayed the significance of the new presence of Russian army helicopters near Minsk.

Addressing ongoing fears over the spread of the war in Ukraine, British intelligence said the new deployment of Russian jets to Belarus, which borders Ukraine, "is likely to be really for exercises, rather than preparation for any military offensive." re against Ukraine".

Russia has used the territory of Belarus to launch its invasion of Ukraine, even as authoritarian Belarusian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka has tried to downplay his country's role in the conflict.

The commander of Kiev's defense forces, Lt. Gen. Oleksiy Pavlyuk, said on January 10 that the Ukrainian army is strengthening defensive positions in the north and the city is preparing for a possible offensive from the Belarusian border.


Video