Ukraine warns of 'tragic mistake' after Belarus boosts forces on border

While the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry accused Belarus of massing troops on the border under the guise of military exercises, the Belarusian president said that Ukraine had deployed up to 120,000 troops there.

President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko

In a news release on August 26, Reuters news agency said Ukraine has called on Belarus to withdraw a large number of Belarusian forces and equipment deployed at the two countries' common border.

In a statement, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry warned Belarus not to make a "tragic mistake" in bowing to pressure from the Russian Federation, and called on the Belarusian armed forces to "cease hostilities" and withdraw troops from the border.

According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Belarusian special forces and former Wagner mercenaries are among the forces deployed at the border along with weapons equipment such as tanks, artillery, air defense systems and engineering equipment.

These troops are deployed in the Gomel region near the northern border of Ukraine.

A statement from the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said Kiev "has never and will not take any hostile actions against the people of Belarus".

Earlier in an interview broadcast by the Telegram channel Pul Pervogo on August 18, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said the Belarus-Ukraine border was mined "unprecedentedly" and that the Ukrainian army would suffer great losses if they tried to cross the border.

The above warning was given by Mr. Lukashenko along with the information that Ukraine has deployed more than 120,000 troops on the border with Belarus, while Belarus has deployed nearly one-third of its armed forces along the entire border.

Mr Lukashenko did not say exactly how many troops were deployed along the Belarusian border, but according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies' Military Balance Report 2022, Belarus' professional army has about 48,000 troops. In addition, the country has about 12,000 border guards.

Reuters news agency added that the above statement by the Belarusian leader was made in the context of Ukraine sending thousands of troops across the border with the Russian Federation, attacking Kursk province.

This attack, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on August 25, continued to progress as their army advanced another 1-3km and took control of two more settlements, while actively deploying military action in another settlement.

According to VNA

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/ukraine-canh-bao-sai-lam-bi-tham-sau-khi-belarus-tang-cuong-luc-luong-o-bien-gioi-post755712.html