Zelenskyy: Russia Using Belarus to Bypass Ukrainian Air Defenses With Shahed Drones

Russia is trying to bypass Ukraine’s drone interceptor defenses by routing Shahed attack drones through Belarusian territory with Belarusian technical support, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a press briefing on December 26.

Zelenskyy said the issue was reviewed at a meeting of Ukraine’s Supreme Commander-in-Chief staff as officials examined recent Shahed strikes, including attacks targeting the area around Kovel in western Ukraine.

The President added that Russia had been able to observe the lines Ukraine has built to counter Shahed drones and was adapting its routes to avoid them.

“They see our lines, the interceptor lines we are using quite effectively, and they want to bypass them,” he said, adding that Russia was doing so “thanks to Belarus—Belarusian territory—and technically thanks to Belarus as well.”

He described the Belarus-related element as a serious issue and said he had assigned tasks to address it, with responses to be presented at the next meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief staff.

Earlier, it was reported that residents recorded Russian attack drones flying over Belarusian territory before turning toward Ukraine.

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