MOSCOW: Belarus sent more troops to reinforce its border with Ukraine on Saturday, saying Ukrainian drones had violated its airspace in the course of Kyiv’s military incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.
President Alexander Lukashenko said air defense forces on Friday destroyed several of “about a dozen” Ukrainian drones after they violated Belarusian airspace in the eastern Mogilev region bordering Russia.
He said others were later destroyed near the Russian city of Yaroslavl. Earlier on Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry said Russian forces had intercepted six drones in the Yaroslavl region.
“Considering the situation in Ukraine and in the Kursk region of Russia, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces has given orders to reinforce troops in the Gomel and Mozyr tactical areas in order to respond to such provocations,” Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said.
“Special operations forces, ground troops and rocket forces, including Polonez and Iskander systems, have been tasked with deploying to the designated areas.”
He said Belarus regarded the violation of its airspace as a provocation and “was ready to respond.”