Ukraine has reinforced its northern border with anti-tank ditches, concrete obstacles and barbed wire, responding to a 20% increase in Russian spy drones entering from Belarusian airspace since January. The move reflects growing concern in Kyiv that Moscow is drawing Belarus deeper into the war.
Ukrainian officials report that Russia has built five new drone bases near the Belarus border, using Minsk’s airspace to launch attacks. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has noted “unusual activity” on the border, while Russia and Belarus accused Ukraine of a deadly drone strike on a bus carrying Belarusian schoolchildren—a claim Ukraine’s military dismissed as false.
Belarus has expanded logistics routes, training grounds and surveillance infrastructure to support Russian drone strikes, using border areas as an air corridor. However, officials say there is no evidence of large troop formations for a repeat of the 2022 invasion.
Former Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba warned that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s actions “are different from 2022” and suggest he is “preparing for war.” Political scientist Maksym Pleshko noted increased pro-Russian propaganda in Belarus as Moscow faces a strategic stalemate.
Ukraine’s unmanned forces commander Robert Brovdi stated that Kyiv has identified 500 targets in Belarus to strike if Minsk becomes more directly involved. Analysts agree that Moscow may use Belarus to threaten a wider conflict, though Lukashenko is seen as unlikely to commit troops.
