Kiev, December 28: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that Russia is using Belarusian territory to circumvent Ukraine’s air defences, deploying equipment on residential buildings near the border to guide drones and attack targets in western Ukraine.
In a post on Telegram following a military staff meeting, Zelenskiy said Ukrainian intelligence had observed antennae and other equipment placed on the roofs of ordinary five-storey apartment buildings in Belarusian settlements. He described the tactic as “an absolute disregard for human lives” and warned that Belarus was compromising its sovereignty in favour of Russia’s aggressive ambitions.
“We note that the Russians are trying to bypass our defensive interceptor positions through the territory of neighbouring Belarus. This is risky for Belarus,” Zelenskiy wrote.
Belarus, a steadfast Russian ally, previously allowed Russian forces to use its territory to launch the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, though President Alexander Lukashenko has stated Belarus will not commit troops to the conflict.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine’s military is exploring financing interceptor drones, which Kyiv officials see as an economically viable way to counter the growing intensity of Russian drone attacks. The Ukrainian general staff has been tasked with revising air defence strategy to better protect infrastructure and frontline positions.
Lukashenko this month announced that Russia’s Oreshnik ballistic missile system, described by Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin as “impossible to intercept,” had been deployed to Belarus and entered active combat duty.
An assessment by two U.S. researchers, reported by Reuters, suggested that Moscow is likely stationing the nuclear-capable hypersonic Oreshnik missile at a former air base in eastern Belarus, potentially strengthening Russia’s ability to deliver missiles across Europe.
Requests for comment from the Russian and Belarusian defence ministries were not immediately answered.
