Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has accused Ukraine of violating Belarusian airspace with drones on August 9, 2024, escalating tensions between the two countries. According to Lukashenko, Belarusian air defense forces were put on high alert and successfully destroyed several targets, believed to be Ukrainian attack drones, at an altitude of 1.5 kilometers and a distance of 6.5 kilometers from the border.Lukashenko stated, ‘The Armed Forces of Ukraine have violated all the rules of behavior and violated Belarusian airspace. There were about a dozen targets’. The Belarusian president claimed that some targets were destroyed over Belarusian territory, while others were ‘handed over’ to Russian air defense systems due to a unified air defense agreement between the two countries.In response to the alleged incursion, Lukashenko has ordered the strengthening of military groups on the Gomel and Mozyr tactical directions near the Ukrainian border. Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin confirmed that ‘military units of special operations forces, ground forces, and rocket forces, including ‘Polonez’ rocket systems and ‘Iskander’ complexes, have been tasked with conducting marches to designated areas’.The incident has further strained relations between Belarus and Ukraine, with Belarus viewing the drone flights as a potential attempt to draw it into the ongoing conflict. Valery Revenko, head of the international military cooperation department of the Belarusian Ministry of Defense, expressed this concern on social media.While Lukashenko has accused Ukraine of escalating tensions and demonstrating unwillingness towards peace, it’s important to note that the Ukrainian government has not yet commented on these allegations. The situation remains tense, with potential implications for regional stability and the broader conflict in Eastern Europe.
Key points
- Belarusian President Lukashenko accused Ukraine of violating its airspace with drones on August 9, 2024.
- Belarus claims to have shot down several Ukrainian drones and handed others over to Russian air defense.
- In response, Belarus has ordered the deployment of troops and military equipment to the Ukrainian border.
- The incident has escalated tensions between Belarus and Ukraine, with potential regional implications.
Contradictions👾While Lukashenko claims Ukrainian drones violated Belarusian airspace, the Ukrainian government has not commented on these allegations.
👾There are slight discrepancies in the reported number of drones, with some sources mentioning ‘about a dozen’ and others not specifying an exact number.
