Belarus prepares support to Russia amid to Ukrainian advance in Kursk region and Ukraine answers.

In progress since August 6, the Ukrainian army's attack on the Kursk region is not just a simple incursion into Russian territory as there have been in the past, especially since at least four brigades—two mechanized infantry and two airborne—have been engaged by Kyiv, whose intentions remain unclear. In response to the seriousness of the situation, Moscow has declared a "federal-level" emergency in the Kursk Oblast, where an "anti-terrorist" regime has been established, as in the bordering regions of Belgorod and Bryansk.
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Belarussian T-72  on a train arriving near Belgorod border  (Picture source: Belarus MoD)

On August 10, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented for the first time on the ongoing operation in Kursk. "Today, I received several reports from the Commander-in-Chief Syrsky concerning the front lines and our actions to push the war onto the territory of the aggressor," he stated during his daily address. "Ukraine proves that it can effectively restore justice and exert the necessary pressure on the aggressor," he added.

At the same time, already involved in the war given that its territory has been used by Russia to attack Ukraine, Belarus condemned the violation of its airspace by Ukrainian drones.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko then stated that these devices had been shot down in the KRAI of Kastsyukovichy, located 200 km east of Minsk and bordering Russia. Apparently, these drones were meant to target the Smolensk region. "Air defense forces were put on maximum alert to intercept the targets. There were about a dozen. Aircraft [Su-30SM] and helicopters [Mil Mi-24] were dispatched to the site," he said.

The Belta news agency broadcast images of the presumed drone debris. However, their examination does not allow for determining their origin.

Belarusian diplomacy then indicated that it had summoned the Ukrainian chargée d'affaires in Belarus to hand over a "note of protest." It added that Minsk "demanded comprehensive measures to prevent similar future incidents that could lead to further escalation in the region."

"The Ukrainian chargée d'affaires was warned that in case of repetition of such provocations, the Belarusian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures to protect its territory," concluded the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This is not the first time Minsk has mentioned a violation of its territory by Ukrainian forces. In July 2022, Mr. Lukashenko had thus accused Kyiv of attempting to "strike military targets in Belarus" with missiles. "Our Pantsir anti-aircraft systems intercepted them," he assured.

"We have no intention of fighting in Ukraine. We will only fight in one case, if you enter our land, if you kill our people, then we will respond," the Belarusian president had further warned.

This time, Minsk's intentions remain to be clarified, given the military capabilities that will be deployed near Ukraine.

Thus, the Belarusian Ministry of Defense announced that, "considering the situation in Ukraine and in the Kursk region, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces has ordered the deployment of additional troops in the Gomel and Mozyr sectors in response to possible provocations." It specified that "units of special operations forces, ground forces, missile forces, including Polonez and Iskander missile systems, have been tasked with moving to the designated areas."

The Polonez system is a multiple rocket launcher with a range between 50 and 200 km. As for the Iskander [NATO code: SS-26 Stone], it is a tactical ballistic missile, potentially capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, and able to reach a target about 500 km away.

The region where these systems are to be deployed is located, as the crow flies, 230 km from Kyiv and 370 km from Kursk. They are also expected to be joined by a "mechanized" unit, equipped with T-72 tanks.

In Kyiv, for the moment, only the director of the Center for Combating Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, has reacted to Minsk's announcements. He considers it a "diversionary tactic aimed at helping Russia by diverting the attention of the Ukrainian command to this sector," he estimated, via Telegram. according to humint sources we have, Ukraine has moved multiple formations to the Rivne region, similar movement have been spotted towards the Chernobyl exclusion zone.

Today we spotted The Ministers of Defense of Belarus and Russia, Viktor Khrenin and Andrey Belousov, discussed the current military-political situation on the sidelines of the "Army-2024" forum. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic.