Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Saturday that his army had shot down missiles fired from Ukraine at Belarus, amid speculation about Minsk’s growing involvement in the conflict between Kyiv and Moscow.
Posted at 2:18 pm
“We are provoked. I must tell you that about three days ago, maybe more, there was an attempt by Ukraine to strike military targets in Belarus. “Thank God, the Pantsir anti-aircraft systems intercepted all the missiles fired by the troops,” he was quoted by the official news agency “Belta” as saying. Ukrainian”.
“I repeat to you, as I said more than a year ago, we have no intention of fighting in Ukraine,” he nonetheless emphasized.
Since the Kremlin’s attack against Ukraine on February 24, Belarus, Russia’s ally, has served as a rear base for Russian forces.
Notably, Russian forces had set out from Belarus in an attempt to seize the capital, Kyiv, before surrendering at the end of March in the face of Ukrainian resistance and their withdrawal.
Mr. Lukashenko’s regime, under severe Western sanctions, is highly dependent on Russia both militarily and economically.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow would “in the coming months” deliver to Belarus Iskander-M missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
