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17 April, 12:15
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Zelenskiy says Russia’s seeks to drag Belarus into war in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that Russia was planning to drag neighbouring into its four-year war of invasion in Ukraine.

Zelenskiy made the remarks on Friday after listening the report by Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi.

"The construction of roads toward Ukrainian territory and the development of artillery positions are underway in the Belarusian border areas. We believe that Russia may once again attempt to drag Belarus into its war," Zelenskiy posted on Facebook.

He also cited intelligence reports, stating that Russian troops for seeking to regroup forces, most likely to compensate for personnel shortages. "In this context, it is becoming increasingly clear why military activity in Belarus has increased," he stressed.

Furthermore, Zelenskiy instructed relevant channels to warn Belarus officials that Kyiv was ready to defend its lands. "The nature and consequences of recent events in Venezuela should serve as a warning to the Belarusian leadership against making mistakes," Zelenskiy explained.

The Ukrainian president went on saying that Russia suffered large number of troops in April, adding that "Russians are not succeeding in seizing the initiative on the front, and that is important.”

Belarus’ potential involvement in the war was also brought up ty Ukraine's Defense Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, who said ina briefing on Friday that Minsk likely received orders from Moscow to keep Ukrainian forces engaged near the northern border, thereby reducing the reserves available to Kyiv for countering Russian offensives. “It appears Belarus actually received an order from Russia - before their spring‑summer attempt at offensive operations in the east and south - to keep our forces under strain,” Kovalenko said in a Telegram post.

Earlier on March 23, Zelenskiy had warned, following a report from Ukraine's Defense Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, that Russian was planning to deploy ground control stations for long-range drones in Ukraine and in Belarus.