Russian ally claims Kiev violated its airspace

Belarus has destroyed what appear to have been several Ukrainian drones that illegally crossed its airspace in the southern part of the country, President Alexander Lukashenko said. In light of the incident, Minsk announced a military buildup on the border with its neighbor.

Speaking at a working meeting on Saturday, Lukashenko revealed that the previous evening Belarusian air defense forces had been “put on high alert” because the Ukrainian military had “violated all rules of conduct and violated [Belarusian] airspace,” adding that he suspects this was not the first time it had done so.

He claimed that the incident took place in the Kostyukovichsky district which borders Russia and has no border with Ukraine, but is located some 300km from the country.

According to Lukashenko, several Ukrainian targets – which he said appeared to have been attack drones – flying at an altitude of 1.5 km over Belarus were destroyed at around 7pm local time. An operation is underway to recover the debris, he added.

However, the president indicated that some of the aircraft were not shot down and ended up continuing on their way to Russia, where he said, according to the Russian military, they ended up being eliminated near Yaroslavl, some 300km northeast of Moscow. He explained that data on the aircraft had been transferred to Russia, recalling that Moscow and Minsk have a unified air defense system network.

This came after Mikhail Yevrayev, the governor of Yaroslavl Region, said several Ukrainian drones had been taken out not far from the city as they attempted to attack an undisclosed industrial facility.

“I don’t know why Ukraine needs this. We have to take care of this… We have informed them that any provocative actions will not go without a response,” the Belarusian president said.

As Minsk accused Kiev of violating its airspace, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said the country would increase its presence on the Ukrainian border. While Ukraine has yet to respond to Minsk’s accusations, officials in Kiev interpreted the military buildup as an attempt to divert Ukraine’s attention and help Russia deal with the incursion into Kursk Region.

Kiev launched a major incursion into Russian territory on Tuesday. Moscow has accused Ukrainian forces of indiscriminate attacks on civilians. The Russian Defense Ministry later said the Ukrainian advance had been halted, adding that Kiev had lost up to 1,100 troops and 140 armored vehicles since the start of the assault.