Belarus reinforces troops on border with Ukraine

(Patria) - Belarus has sent additional soldiers to reinforce the border with Ukraine, saying Ukrainian drones violated its airspace during Kyiv's military incursion into Russia's Kursk region, Reuters reported.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry summoned Ukraine's chargé d'affaires, demanded measures to ensure such incidents do not recur, and suggested that a repeat would prompt Belarus to consider whether Kyiv's diplomatic presence in Minsk is "appropriate."

President Alexander Lukashenko, speaking at a meeting in eastern Belarus, said air defense forces on Friday destroyed several of a "dozen" Ukrainian drones after they violated Belarusian airspace in the Mogilev region bordering Russia. Lukashenko, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest allies, said others were later destroyed near the Russian city of Yaroslavl.

"I don't understand why Ukraine had to do this. We need to investigate this," he said. "But we... clearly stated and conveyed to them that any provocation will not go unanswered."

State television channel Belarus 1 aired footage of what it said were fragments of downed drones. The Belarusian Foreign Ministry said Minsk demands "comprehensive measures" to ensure such incidents do not recur. "It was emphasized... that if the diplomatic mission of Ukraine in Belarus cannot have an effect on preventing such provocations, the Belarusian side will raise the question of the appropriateness of its continued presence in Minsk."

Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, a state body, wrote on Telegram that the deployment of weapons near the border was "an attempt to help Putin and divert the attention of the Ukrainian command to this sector."

Earlier on Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry said Russian forces intercepted six drones in the Yaroslavl region.

"Given the situation in Ukraine and Russia's Kursk region, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces has ordered the reinforcement of troops in the tactical zones of Gomel and Mozyr to respond to such provocations," Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said.

"Special operations forces, ground troops, and missile forces, including Polonez and Iskander systems, have been tasked with deploying to specific areas." He said Belarus considered the violation of its airspace a provocation and "was ready to respond."