Russia is increasingly using sites in Belarus to launch its attacks on Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after a meeting of the entire military command on Friday.
This applies to drone and missile attacks, he wrote on Facebook, adding that with this new tactic Russia was trying to bypass Ukraine’s defensive lines.
“This is risky for Belarus,” he wrote. “It is unfortunate that Belarus is surrendering its sovereignty to Russia’s aggressive ambitions.”
He said that preemptive defense against this new direction of attack was difficult because Russia had installed all the necessary equipment for strikes on residential buildings.
He added, citing Ukrainian intelligence, that antennas and other guidance systems for attacks on targets in Ukraine are now literally on the roofs of five-story civilian residential buildings.
He added: “This is an absolute disregard for human life, and Minsk must stop playing these games.” He said that the Ukrainian air defense had been instructed to adjust its strategy.
At the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Belarus offered its territory as a launching point for the ultimately unsuccessful advance on Kiev.
Belarusian forces are not actively involved in the fighting, but the potential threat hampers significant Ukrainian forces on the common border.