Belarus Accuses Ukraine of Massing Troops at Border Amid Russian Incursion

Belarus reports that Ukraine is amassing troops at the border as tensions escalate with a Ukrainian incursion into Russian territory.

As Ukraine continues its incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has reportedly asserted that Kyiv positioned over 120,000 troops along the border with his country. This information was conveyed through Belarus’ state news agency.

According to BelTA, Lukashenko announced on Sunday that Minsk had responded to Ukraine’s deployment by deploying almost a third of its armed forces along the entire border. He is known as an unwavering supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kyiv has not yet commented on these assertions.

Belarus President Lukashenko stated in an interview with Russian state television that due to the aggressive policy of the opposing forces, they have strategically positioned military personnel along their entire border as a means of defense.

According to Al Jazeera’s Dorsa Jabbari, reporting from Moscow, Lukashenko is making intimidating statements directed towards Kyiv officials.

Jabbari added that the president had clearly stated that if Ukraine attempted to enter Belarusian territory, they would be met with aggression.

The exact number of Belarusian soldiers deployed was not disclosed by Lukashenko. However, The Military Balance 2022 evaluation from the International Institute for Strategic Studies states that there are approximately 48,000 professional army troops and roughly 12,000 state border personnel in Belarus.

In light of Ukraine’s invasion into Russia on August 6, wherein numerous soldiers from Kyiv forcefully entered the Kursk area through the western border and caused significant humiliation for Putin’s military leadership, these remarks have emerged.

On Sunday, Ukrainian forces targeted a bridge in the Kursk region with the aim of hindering Moscow’s military operations in that locality.

The governor of Russia’s southern Rostov region confirmed that a large fuel fire was ignited when Ukrainian drones launched an attack on an oil storage facility earlier this Sunday.

According to Governor Vasily Golubev’s statement on Telegram, an attempted drone attack in the south-east of Rostov region was successfully repelled by air defences. However, due to falling debris from the drones, a diesel fuel fire occurred at industrial storage facilities located in Proletarsk. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries and another subsequent drone attack happened shortly after.

Five “aircraft-type” Ukrainian drones were shot down by the Russian military overnight, with two of them being above the Rostov region. This information was shared by the Russian Ministry of Defence.

On Sunday, the mayor of Donetsk, who was installed by Russia in eastern Ukraine, reported that two individuals had been fatally wounded as a result of Ukrainian shelling on the city under occupation.

On Sunday, just before dawn, air raid sirens sounded in the capital city of Kyiv indicating a Russian missile attack. However, Ukrainian forces reported that they successfully foiled the attempted attack.

After the morning assault, Kyiv City Military Administration conveyed on Telegram that it was the third instance of a ballistic missile strike launched upon the capital city in August with a consistent gap of six days between each attack.

Drones were sighted en route to Kyiv at the same time as the missile attack.

“It added that the enemy drones were destroyed well outside the city.”

The attack, which the administration claimed to be executed by North Korean ballistic missiles of KN-23 type, did not result in any harm or casualties.

North Korea has been accused by both the United States and South Korea of supplying weapons, including missiles and ammunition, to Russia for its conflict in Ukraine.

On Sunday, North Korea criticized Ukraine’s invasion of Russia as an unacceptable terrorist activity that had the support of both Washington and the West. The country also expressed its unwavering loyalty to Russia in their efforts to preserve sovereignty. As per state media reports, the United States’ “anti-Russia policy” would only lead to World War III inching closer towards realization.

The safety condition of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is declining due to a drone attack in the vicinity, as cautioned by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

On Saturday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) cautioned about a surge in security threats at the facility due to “intense” military movements near and around it over the past week.

In the statement, Rafael Grossi, head of IAEA expressed his deep concern and emphasized his plea for all parties to exercise utmost restraint. He further stated that there was a decline in the “nuclear safety situation” at the plant.

Accusing Ukraine, Russia claimed that on Saturday an explosive charge was dropped by them near the occupied plant located in southern Ukraine. Russian forces took control of this factory during the war’s initial stages and have faced multiple attacks since then. Each side has accused one another for these assaults.

On-site IAEA experts stated that the destruction appeared to result from a drone with an explosive payload, impacting the roadway linking the nuclear facility’s primary entrances.

Alex Gatapolous of Al Jazeera, who was reporting from Kyiv, stated that it is uncertain whether the drone had a specific aim towards the nuclear power plant or not.