No movement of equipment or troop buildup near border in Belarus, SBGS spox says
This was stated on television by State Border Guard Service Spokesperson Andrii Demchenko, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
“There is no troop buildup. Since 2022, Belarus has maintained units in certain areas; at the time, they said this was to strengthen their own security, as they expected some kind of action from Ukraine – although Ukraine has never posed a threat to Belarus and does not plan to do so. So those are the same units Belarus has long kept along our border. They rotate, they are replaced, and movements take place, but there is no increase even in these units,” Demchenko said.
According to him, there is also no movement of equipment in the immediate vicinity of the border.
“From an information standpoint, they previously announced the creation of a Southern Operational Command specifically along the border with Ukraine. Within that framework, they may be setting up positions, training grounds, and access roads,” the SBGS spokesperson noted.
He added that intelligence units, the Ministry of Defense, and the State Border Guard Service are closely monitoring developments in Belarus to respond promptly to any challenges or threats.
“As of now, Russia is not maintaining large forces on the territory of Belarus, including infantry units that could carry out a renewed invasion from Belarusian territory,” Demchenko emphasized.
At the same time, he noted that provocative actions cannot be ruled out, particularly attempts to draw Ukrainian forces to this direction away from more critical areas.
“We are monitoring the situation, will respond to all challenges coming from Belarusian territory, and continue to strengthen this direction,” Demchenko stressed.
He also said that engineering fortifications are being reinforced directly along the Belarusian border, with defensive structures being expanded in every region bordering Belarus: Volyn, Rivne, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, and Chernihiv regions.
As previously reported by Ukrinform, Belarusian self-proclaimed president Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree on April 17 calling up reserve officers for military service.
