Ukraine war

Report: Ukrainian missile strikes Belarus as a Putin ally prepares for war

Vladimir Putin and Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko arrive for the Informal Summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on December 27, 2022, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. (Photo: Contributor/Getty Images)

Thursday, a Ukrainian S-300 missile reportedly landed on Belarusian soil, according to the Belarusian Ministry of Defense.

The missile landed near the city of Ivanovo in the Brest region between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. local time, according to the Russian state-owned news agency TASS, which cited the press department of the Belarusian Defense Ministry.

According to the Belarusian military ministry, the missile was intercepted in the village of Harbacha in the Brest district, which is about 15 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

"Fragments were discovered in a farm field...

During the verification process, it was determined that the debris belonged to an S-300 anti-aircraft-guided missile fired from Ukrainian territory. "According to a ministry statement,

The event was reported "immediately" to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a firm supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin. At the same time, investigators and military personnel were summoned to the area, according to The Moscow Times. There are currently no reports of fatalities or injuries.

Oleg Konovalov, the military commissar of the Brest region, reassured locals in a video aired by the state-run news agency BelTA that they had no reason to panic. "There is nothing to be concerned about. Unfortunately, such events occur."

Reportedly, it has been suspected that the S-300 missile fell accidentally into Belarusian territory, similar to how a Russian-made rocket landed in NATO member Poland in November, raising concerns about a potential extension of the Russian war beyond the borders of Ukraine.

Thursday, Konovalvo drew parallels between these two occurrences. Unknown is whether Belarus views this as a threat from Ukraine.

According to Reuters, Russia and Ukraine use S-300 missiles, a Soviet-era defense system, but for distinct objectives. Ukraine suses the defense system to intercept incoming Russian missiles, while Russia employs it to attack ground-based targets.

The Belarusian military has not yet participated in the invasion of Ukraine, despite conducting joint drills with Russian forces well before the conflict began on February 24. According to The Moscow Times, Lukashenko further cautioned Ukraine against approaching "even a meter of our territory with their dirty hands,"

As he recently met with Putin in Minsk for security-related discussions, Lukashenko was focused on his country's military readiness. He claimed that "the current situation and threats" caused by the war in Ukraine justified preparing Belarusian forces for combat and redeploying them closer to the border.

"If you desire peace, you must plan for conflict. It was neither invented by you nor by me. "During the meeting, according to an official account, Lukashenko stated the following. "By doing this, I want to answer all sorts of rumors that appear in our society, especially on the internet, about the movement of the armed forces of Belarus and the joint movement of the armed forces of Belarus and Russia."

Given the situation in Ukraine, the Belarusian leader also stated that his country will continue to conduct joint drills with Russia on "a large scale."

Lukashenko stated, "We are conducting exercises on our territory," "Both the joint-grouping of armed forces and our armed forces are being relocated as we see fit. Period. No alternate plans and no conspiracies."

Publish : 2022-12-30 09:02:00

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