Russia would need 70,000 troops to threaten Ukraine from Belarus, Kyiv is watching border

A threat to Ukraine from Belarusian territory could become a reality if Russia were able to deploy 70,000 troops, but Ukraine's defence forces say they are "making sure it does not find any".

Source: Major General Oleksandr Pivnenko, Commander of the National Guard, in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine, a Ukrainian news agency

Quote: "The enemy's main task is to stretch our forces so they can move deeper into the territory more quickly. But this also requires forces – finding 70,000 service members who can act. Let them try [to assemble these forces in Belarus – ed.]. And we will try to make sure they don't find them."

Details: Separately, Pivnenko noted that National Guard personnel are taking part in security measures along the border jointly with other units of Ukraine's defence forces. He said the situation there is currently stable.

Quote: "Our units are holding defensive positions in Sumy Oblast and on the Chernihiv front. We are paying more attention to the drone component because we need to keep drones flying 24/7 and monitor the border area constantly. Put it this way: if there are concerns that the enemy plans to move in the north of our country, on the Chernihiv or Chornobyl fronts, we are ready for that. There won't be a repeat of 2022 there."

Background:

• On 15 May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia is continuing its attempts to drag Belarus into the war, possibly with the aim of carrying out an operation against a NATO member state.
• Commenting on the threats emanating from Belarus, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces Commander Robert "Magyar" Brovdi said the Ukrainian military has already identified 500 targets on Belarusian territory. He also advised self-proclaimed Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko not to "stick in Ukraine's craw".
• Lukashenko responded to Brovdi's remarks by threatening to strike a "very serious" target in Ukraine, the coordinates of which Minsk supposedly possesses.
• Lukashenko later said that no military action should be expected from Belarus and apologised to Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his harsh remarks.

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