Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko declared on Thursday that the risk of military incidents along his country’s border with Ukraine is high. He says Ukraine has gathered more than 100,000 people near the border with Belarus.
“The probability of armed provocations from Ukrainian units, capable of degenerating into incidents at the border, is high,” Lukashenko declared in a speech at his party’s congress.
According to him, “a significant grouping of the Ukrainian army is concentrated in the immediate vicinity of the Belarusian border, approximately 120,000 people.”
On the other hand, neighboring Poland should not expect aggressive actions from Belarus, says Lukashenko. However, Belarus has moved several combat-ready battalions from the Vitebsk region, located on its border with Russia, to the western borders of the country, the leader from Minsk announced, writes The Guardian, according to News.ro.
TASS also quoted Lukashenko, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, as saying there could be an “apocalypse” if Russia used nuclear weapons in retaliation for Western actions.
Russia stored nuclear weapons in Belarus last year, marking the first time since the end of the Cold War that Moscow has sent its nuclear weapons across the border.
According to the BelTA agency, the procedure for the use of nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus is not stipulated in the draft of the new military doctrine prepared by Minsk. Asked whether the new Military Doctrine stipulates the procedure for the use of nuclear weapons, Aleksandr Lukashenko answered in the negative on Thursday.
“The mechanism is not stipulated. It depends on me and Putin. In addition, we consult with each other on how, when and where not only tactical (nuclear) weapons should be used, but also conventional ones,” Lukşenko said.
“It is a terrible weapon. God forbid if we have to use it,” the Belarusian president emphasized.
Publisher: BP
Tags: Lukashenko risk armed provocations border Ukraine high
