16:59 21.07.2022

There is risk of sabotage, reconnaissance groups' penetration into Ukraine from Belarus – intelligence agency

2 min read
There is risk of sabotage, reconnaissance groups' penetration into Ukraine from Belarus – intelligence agency

There is currently no direct military threat from Belarus, but the risk of sabotage and reconnaissance groups infiltrating northern Ukraine from its territory remains, Spokesperson for the Main Intelligence Agency of the Defense Ministry Vadym Skibitsky said.

"The situation is difficult, but manageable, and there is no direct threat today," Skibitsky said at a briefing in Kyiv on Thursday.

According to him, everyone understands the level of threat that may arise if Russian troops are transferred to the territory of Belarus, as was the case on the eve of Russia's full-scale invasion into Ukraine, and the Main Intelligence Agency of the Ministry of Defense, together with other structures of the intelligence community, are monitoring the situation.

"We do not see the active creation of offensive groups, primarily Russian ones, on the territory of Belarus, at the same time, measures are being taken to constantly support the armed forces of Belarus in combat readiness. Today, on a rotational basis, these are six battalions and one special forces detachment are located near our border... According to the statement of the leadership of Belarus, they carry out activities there to protect the border and their territory," Skibitsky said.

He also said "very active training of special units, both Belarusians and individual inspectors, individual units of the Russian armed forces" is taking place on the territory of Belarus.

"In this case, there can be only one threat – that sabotage and reconnaissance groups can operate from the territory of Belarus in our northern regions. This includes reconnaissance, and possible sabotage, and other specific issues that are carried out precisely by special forces," the representative of the Intelligence Agency said.

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