Alexander Lukashenko admitted that certain units of the Russian Armed Forces crossed the border of Ukraine from the territory of Belarus in February 2022, the Pool of the First telegram channel close to his press service reports.
Lukashenka also said that Belarus will always help Russia in the war against Ukraine. In addition, he noted that “Minsk will instantly respond to any aggression against Belarus from Ukraine, Poland or the Baltic countries.”
Speaking about the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons from the Russian Federation on the territory of Belarus, Lukashenka said that they would not be used if there was no aggression against Belarus. “If only an act of aggression is committed against us, an attack on Belarus, we will not hesitate, wait, and so on. We will use the entire arsenal of our weapons for deterrence,” he stressed.
For the first time, Lukashenka announced the participation of Belarus in the war against Ukraine in October 2022. At the same time, he clarified that although the country takes part in the “SVO”, it does not kill anyone and does not send its military to Ukraine.
According to Lukashenka, participation is to prevent “the spread of this conflict on the territory of Belarus” and “strike against Belarus under the guise of a special military operation by Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.”
In January 2023, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the European Union intends to impose new sanctions on the Lukashenka regime for supporting Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Officially, the Belarusian army does not take part in a full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine, however, Lukashenka provided the territory of Belarus for the passage and temporary deployment of Russian troops, and rocket attacks on Ukraine were launched from its territory. Due to complicity in the war against Ukraine and massive repressions, the US, EU and UK imposed sanctions against Belarus.
At the same time, citizens of Belarus are fighting on the side of Ukraine, the exact number of Belarusians participating in the war is unknown. The petition to grant citizenship to foreigners fighting on the side of Ukraine mentions more than two thousand citizens of Belarus who participate in the defense of the country.
