Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Ukraine opens its voice regarding the possibility of Belarus assisting the Russian military in military attacks on its territory. Kyiv says it is ready if that happens.
Spokesman for Ukraine’s State Border Service, Andriy Demchenko, said his party had included a scenario if Belarus really helped Russia. Previously Belarus had been the country the Kremlin used to bring its troops into Ukraine.
“We do not rule out that the Russian Federation may at some point use the territory of Belarus, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, against Ukraine,” he told Reuters on Thursday (5/5/2022).
Russia itself started training together with Belarus on Wednesday. This exercise allows Moscow to move more troops closer to the border with Ukraine, which is also a direct neighbor of Belarus.
Apart from Belarus, Demchenko said Ukraine has also strengthened its borders with the Transnitria region. This area is an area belonging to Moldova which is controlled by pro-Russian separatist groups. He and several Kyiv officials say Moscow is trying to attract the separatists to help with its offensive in Ukraine.
Russia launched an attack it called a special military operation into Ukraine on February 24 last. Until now, the troops sent by President Vladimir Putin are focusing their attacks on the Donbass region, specifically Luhansk and Donetsk which are also controlled by pro-Moscow separatists.
Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to receive weapons assistance from Western countries to repel this Russian attack. Some of the equipment delivered includes lethal missiles.
This infuriated Russia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said this Western aid would trigger a sizeable escalation of the conflict, perhaps even leading to the Third World War.
(roy/roy)
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