According to Belarusian state media, President Alexander Lukashenko stated on Sunday that Ukraine has stationed over 120,000 soldiers in border areas adjacent to Belarus. Belarus has also deployed approximately one-third of its armed forces along the entire border region.
While Lukashenko did not disclose specific troop numbers, the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ 2022 Military Balance report estimates Belarus’ professional military at around 48,000 personnel and national border forces at about 12,000.
In an interview with Russia’s state television, Lukashenko mentioned, “Seeing their aggressive policies, we have deployed troops in certain locations where they would form a defensive formation in case of war – our troops will defend along the entire border.”
Ukraine did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment. However, Kyiv stated last Saturday that there were no signs of Belarus amassing troops at the border.
Lukashenko, a staunch ally of Russian President Putin, made these remarks against the backdrop of Ukraine launching cross-border attacks on Russia. Ukrainian forces entered Russia on August 6, with thousands of soldiers breaching the western border, leading to embarrassment for senior Russian military officials.
Belarus Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin stated last Friday that neighboring Ukraine was highly likely to instigate armed provocations, and the situation in the border areas between the two countries remains tense.
Lukashenko mentioned that Belarus has laid an “unprecedented number” of mines along its border with Ukraine, warning that Ukrainian forces would suffer significant losses if they attempted to cross the border.