20.2. 20:08
Belarus Troops involved in Russian military exercises have been spotted moving near the Ukrainian border over the weekend.
If the President of the United States Joe Biden Friday’s prediction of an attack on Kiev could happen, it could move from the direction of Belarus along the modern M-01 motorway towards the capital, 225 kilometers away.
Despite gloomy forecasts, Ukraine’s military presence was non-existent, said a newspaper in Helsingin Sanomat who visited the Ukrainian-Belarusian border on Sunday. Kalle Koponen.
A number of trucks were waiting to cross the border in the car parks, and the atmosphere was quiet. Koponen did not see any cars crossing the border in any direction.
Read more: Biden: Putin has made the decision to attack Ukraine, targeting probably the capital Kiev
Rajan near the Ukrainian side is little more than a forest. Not until 45 km from the border looms the small and quiet village of Novi Jarylovich with its old wooden houses and sleepy streets.
There’s a merchant Svetlana Sotnikova promised, laughingly, to sell coke to Russian tanks as long as they were shopping with peaceful intentions.
“I hope people on the other side of the border also want peace,” he told Koponen.
In modern warfare, you don’t run with guns, someone just presses buttons, says Sotnikova.
“Who should be fighting here. All families are cross-border mixes. ”
In Novi Jarylovich, many families have Ukrainian, Russian and Belarusian members. At home, Sotnikova sees television broadcasts from all three countries.
He watches the news, even if he doesn’t want to.
“I prefer to watch series that get me to sleep.”
Peaceful The attitude to the situation was also reflected in the meeting in Koponen Anja. The atmosphere is different than in the West.
“Talks about war are fairy tales, but it all ends well,” he says.
Russian there are troops in Belarus in the Great War exercise. According to an estimate made by NATO before the start of the exercise, 30,000 Russian soldiers will take part in the exercise.
The exercise, which began on February 10, was scheduled to end on Sunday. At the time, however, the Belarusian defense minister announced that the control of the troops was continuing due to the “escalation” of the situation in Ukraine.
Read more: The military exercise between Belarus and Russia was due to end today, but Russian troops will remain in Belarus
Opposition leader Svyatlana Tsihanouskaya criticized the presence of Russian troops in the country on Sunday, AFP news agency reported. He said the presence would jeopardize Belarus’ sovereignty.
According to expert estimates a possible attack on Ukraine could take place from the direction of Belarus if Russia intended to change its regime in Ukraine.
Over the weekend, social media observers have spotted Russian military equipment near the Ukrainian border and also posted videos of the troops.
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