Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Troops Accumulate on Belarus Border: How Many Troops, What Equipment, Kremlin’s Opinion

The accumulation of troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) on the border with Belarus is a problem not only for Minsk, but also for Moscow. This is how Kremlin official representative Dmitry Peskov commented on the situation.

On June 30, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Belarus, Pavel Muraveiko, announced the accumulation of a large number of military personnel near the borders of the EU and the republic. According to Muraveiko, the NATO and US contingents near the country’s borders are an irritant for the Belarusian military. At the same time, the head of the General Staff noted that “appropriate options for action have been developed for all possible provocations on the border.”

Putin and Lukashenko may discuss problems at the summit

Peskov recalled that Belarus is a union state for Russia. In this regard, the two countries have “special formats of dialogue through all relevant departments, including through special services.” Peskov also said that the presidents of Russia and Belarus Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko, if necessary, will be able to discuss this problem at the SCO summit.

“And our defense ministries are in constant contact as partners. Therefore, of course, these are reasons for concern not only for Minsk, but also for Moscow, because we are truly allies and partners,” the Kremlin representative emphasized.

Andrei Severinchik, head of the anti-aircraft missile forces department of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Belarus, stated that the republic is ready to defend itself against possible provocations from Ukraine. According to Severinchik, Belarusian forces patrol and conduct reconnaissance on the state border around the clock in close cooperation with units of the Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus.

There may be more than 20 thousand military personnel near the border of Belarus

According to Muraveiko, 10 NATO battalion tactical groups with a total number of more than 20 thousand people are located near the border of Belarus. Most of them, namely six groups, are US military.

Earlier, on June 20, an increase in Ukrainian army groups and a concentration of heavy equipment of Western origin were recorded on the state border with Ukraine in Belarus. The State Border Committee (SBC) of Belarus warned Kyiv about the inadmissibility of provocations. The appearance of American Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems, M777 howitzers, Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, and other weapons was noted near the Belarusian border.

It was also reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have concentrated long-range UAVs on the border with Belarus. The Ukrainian military is concentrating drones in this direction despite problems with drones and air defense systems in other areas.