Putin wants to drag Lukashenko into Ukraine war – intelligence

Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate, said this in an exclusive interview with Espreso TV. 

Yusov noted that the constant stories about an attack on Ukraine coming from Belarus are Russian information and psychological special operations. Their goal is to sow panic in society and distract the forces of the Ukrainian army. This possibility has been discussed for more than a year, but there is currently no threat of an attack from Belarus. 

"Kyrylo Budanov (the intelligence chief - ed.) has repeatedly given information that we are monitoring the situation. There are no changes now, and no such scenario is expected in the near future," Yusov assured.

The intelligence representative believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin would like Russian troops to enter Ukraine from the territory of Belarus, but this is only his wish.

"There is wishful thinking and there is reality, I believe. Of course, Putin would like to involve dictator Lukashenko in a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, together with Russian troops. First of all, to a ground operation. But we can see that this has not worked out so far. And, in light of recent events, there are no signs that it will work in the near future," Yusov added.

He cited Ukrainian intelligence data, according to which there are no more Russia’s career military personnel in the territory of Belarus.

"This also probably says something. Belarus was used mainly as a hub for the Russian forces - for training, logistics, and repair. The main wave of mobilized soldiers has now, in principle, completed their training and there is no such peak load on the training grounds. They can, basically, cope with their efforts at the training grounds in Russia," Yusov said.

• In an exclusive interview with Espreso, the military intelligence representative also assessed the possible threat of Belarus using nuclear weapons. He said that Vladimir Putin is raising the stakes and using blackmail as a standard practice. So nothing has changed for Ukraine here. Speaking about the possibility of creating an analog of the Israeli Mossad in Ukraine to eliminate enemies, Yusov said: "Many of the Russians involved in war crimes in Ukraine will no longer be able to stand trial and be put in the dock because they are no longer alive."

• On July 14, the spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Andriy Demchenko, said that another rotation of Russian troops had taken place in Belarus. According to him, Russia has withdrawn almost all of its military personnel who were in Belarus.

• Meanwhile, on July 20, the Belarusian Defense Ministry reported on joint exercises between the Wagner fighters and the Belarusian military. Mercenaries from the Russian Wagner PMC are being redeployed to Belarus after the mutiny of their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in late June. On July 20, the ninth convoy with PMC fighters arrived in Belarus. The State Border Guard Service noted that their number does not currently pose a threat to Ukraine.