Belarus-Russia joint exercises in September will raise threat to Ukraine’s northern border – State Border Service

This was stated on Espreso TV by Andriy Demchenko, spokesman for the State Border Service of Ukraine.

“Whether Russia will move any reserves toward our northern border with Belarus during the joint exercises will become clear later, during the active phase, which is scheduled for September. The task of our intelligence units, the Ministry of Defense, and the State Border Service is to collect all necessary information in time. Threats to our country will increase during this period, especially considering how many forces Russia may involve in the drills,” Demchenko said.

The Border Service spokesman stressed that, for now, there’s no sign of a military group being formed in Belarus to attack Ukraine.

“At the moment, we’re not seeing any changes along the border, nor are we recording any signs of a force being assembled in Belarus. Still, this direction remains a potential threat. All units of the Defense Forces are working to reduce the risks to Ukraine,” he added.

• On October 23, 2024, the Belarusian Defense Ministry announced the joint Zapad 2025 drills with Russia. On April 4, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budris said NATO was ready to respond to the joint exercises.
• Meanwhile, the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, warned that large-scale drills in Belarus involving Russian troops this fall may be part of preparations for a new offensive against Ukraine.