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Belarus Sends More Troops and Aircraft to Ukrainian Border

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Belarus Sends More Troops and Aircraft to Ukrainian Border
The 8th Radiotechnical Brigade of the Belarus’ Armed Forces at a training exercise. August 18, 2024. (Source: Belarus’ Minisrty of Derense)

Belarus has deployed aircraft and air defense troops to its border with Ukraine, following Alexander Lukashenko’s announcement that nearly a third of the country’s military would be stationed along the frontier.

Andrey Lukyanovich, commander of the Belarusian Air Defense Forces, stated on national television that the military has also deployed anti-aircraft missiles and soldiers from the radio-technical corps, marking a significant increase in border defenses.

Lukashenko announced on Sunday that he had ordered nearly a third of the army to be stationed at the Ukrainian border. While he did not provide specific troop numbers, Belarus' military consists of approximately 60,000 personnel.

Lukashenko claimed the decision was a response to Ukraine deploying additional troops along the border, though this assertion has not been independently verified.

Ukraine has not confirmed Belarus' deployment along their 1,084-kilometer shared border.

Belarus, which relies heavily on Russian loans and cheap energy, has previously allowed Russia to use its territory as a staging ground for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In 2023, Russia also moved some of its tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus.

Previously, on August 18, Lukashenko also called for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

Ukraine officially announced carrying out an operation in the Kursk region on August 12.

The latest data reveals that Ukrainian forces control 92 settlements in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, according to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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