Russia warns West, Ukraine of ‘consequences’ of action against Belarus

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia warned the West and Ukraine on Friday (20) of “serious consequences” if Kiev moved against close Russian ally Belarus, making clear it would intervene to defend a country where nuclear weapons tactics have been deployed.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters that Moscow was concerned about what she called increased “provocative” activity on the border with Belarus, saying it did not rule out the possibility of attempts at escalation in the region.

Days after Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region on August 6, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko — a staunch ally of President Vladimir Putin — suggested, without providing evidence, that Kyiv may have thoughts of attacking Belarus.

Minsk, which accused Ukrainian drones of violating its airspace, later announced it would send additional troops to its border with Ukraine, although Kyiv said it had not seen any major changes in the border area.

“We have taken into account the information we have received about the intensification of the activities of Ukrainian forces in the border area,” Zakharova said.

“We ourselves note these facts and are aware of the constant attempts by the Ukrainian side to use drones and send terrorists into the republic,” he added.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry said last month that the country “has never taken and will not take any hostile measures against the Belarusian people.”

In an apparent reference to the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk, Zakharova said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had demonstrated his ability to take what she called “reckless actions,” and accused him of coordinating his moves with Washington ahead of the US presidential election in November.

“Therefore, in line with this logic, we do not rule out the possibility that these destructive forces will provoke and exacerbate the situation in the region,” he added.

She said Russia and Belarus were part of a “union state” and committed to jointly defending their common borders, stressing that a joint regional military grouping had been deployed in Belarus alongside Russian tactical nuclear weapons.

“The practical implementation of any aggressive scenarios towards Minsk is fraught with dire consequences not only for Ukraine, but also for its sponsors,” she added.