On Monday (August 19), Belarus stated that it had deployed aircraft, air defense forces, and other military equipment to the border regions adjacent to Ukraine. The day before, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced that nearly one-third of the armed forces had been deployed to the border.
Belarusian Air Force and Air Defense Commander Andrei Lukyanovich told the state-owned TV channel CTV: “The number of troops in this unit has significantly increased, and they are currently carrying out missions at the southern border of our country.”
According to records provided by CTV’s website, Lukyanovich stated that aviation troops, air defense missile units, and radio technical troops had been deployed to the border.
After Ukraine launched attacks inside Russia a few days ago, Lukashenko, a loyal ally of Putin, accused Kiev of adopting aggressive policies and deployed over 120,000 soldiers to the border with Ukraine.
However, Ukraine has stated that they have not observed an increase in Belarusian forces at the border and dismissed Lukashenko’s remarks as an attempt to please Putin.
In February 2022, Russia used Belarus as a springboard to invade Ukraine. Moscow termed this conflict as a “special military operation.” Kiev and Western countries have accused Russia of launching an unwarranted war to seize Ukrainian territory.
This war has resulted in thousands of casualties in Ukraine, millions displaced, and numerous cities reduced to rubble.
Lukyanovich informed CTV that Belarus expects Moscow to deliver more military aircraft this year, and Belarus is also working to enhance its anti-drone systems.
Lukyanovich said: “Drones are the plague of the 21st century, that is evident. This is a headache-inducing issue, but I believe we will find ways to address it.”
To counter the escalating threats and tensions, Lithuania has begun constructing a military base near the Belarus border since Monday.
The base is expected to be completed by the end of 2027 and can accommodate up to 4,000 well-equipped German soldiers, marking the first permanent deployment of German forces abroad since its military establishment.
Last year, Germany pledged to deploy troops in NATO and EU member countries bordering Russia. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated that this decision is comparable to the Cold War era’s stationing of allied forces in Western Germany to deter Soviet attacks.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Raimundas Vaiksnoras estimated that the country would spend over 1 billion euros (about 1.1 billion dollars) in the next three years to construct the base, which is one of Lithuania’s largest construction projects.
Located in Rudninkai near the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, only 20 kilometers (approximately 12 miles) from Belarus, the base will house 4,000 soldiers, tank maintenance facilities, and shooting ranges of various scales. Apart from troops stationed at the base, around 1,000 German military personnel and contractors will be deployed to other regions of Lithuania.