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Russia Uses Belarusian Territory to Operate Shahed Drone Strikes Against Ukraine, Zelenskyy Says
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Russia is using Belarusian territory to conduct and coordinate Shahed drone attacks on Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated during a speech in Vilnius on January 25.
Zelenskyy said that operators controlling the Russian-made Shahed drones are based in Belarus and that Russian forces rely on Belarusian territory to maintain communication with the drones during attacks.
He added that Belarus is also being used to support broader Russian military operations against Ukraine and to project intimidation toward Europe.
Zelenskyy emphasized that Russia has turned Belarus into a “testing ground” for threatening the West, including through the deployment of the Oreshnik missile system. The president also noted that Belarusian defense and industrial sectors are now integrated into Russia’s war economy.
For now, sadly, Lukashenko’s white spitz has been granted more rights than the people of Belarus. There was a chance in 2020 to change this. And, I’m sure, there will be another chance.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 25, 2026
But back then, support for Belarusians was simply not enough. And now we all feel how much… pic.twitter.com/U2O7iB9fUT
“Belarusian industry supports Russia’s war, and Belarusian trade routes help Moscow acquire components needed to build threats against all of us in Europe,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukrainian officials have previously warned that Russian drones often use Belarusian airspace or territory to bypass Ukrainian air defense systems, particularly during complex strike campaigns.
As part of this militarization, construction of a new ammunition plant in Belarus has been underway since 2023, with operations expected to begin in 2026. According to Ukrainian sources, the facility will manufacture 152 mm artillery shells and 122 mm unguided rockets, supplying both the Belarusian and Russian armed forces.
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Zelenskyy linked Belarus’s current role in the war to the political fallout of the failed 2020 protests against President Alexander Lukashenko, citing a lack of international support at the time. He drew a historical parallel to the January Uprising of 1863, describing modern Belarus as a de facto Russian-controlled governorate.
“True independence and true protection of life are still to be achieved for Belarusians,” Zelenskyy said, adding that the consequences of Belarus’s dependency on Moscow now pose a broader risk to European security.
Belarus does not participate in Russia’s war against Ukraine as a formal belligerent, but it has allowed Russian troops to operate from its territory. In the early stages of the full-scale invasion, Belarus served as a staging ground for Russian forces advancing on Kyiv, and missile strikes from Belarusian territory have been documented throughout the war.
Zelenskyy concluded by addressing the people of Belarus directly, calling them a “European nation” and expressing gratitude to Belarusian volunteers fighting for Ukraine. He stressed the importance of supporting all nations striving for freedom, warning that delayed action comes at a high cost.
“We must work every day for a strong Europe,” he said.
Earlier, OSINT analysts cited by Defense Blog reported that Russia had begun deploying its nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system to Belarus, a move later confirmed by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko and described by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as nearing completion.
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-d67b6f80831d83bf04ef89a9e491058e.png "Ukrainian Special Forces Eliminate Russian Fighters, Take POWs in Kupiansk")
