MOSCOW, Sept 20 (Askume) – Russia warned the West and Ukraine on Friday of “catastrophic consequences” if Kiev took action against Russia’s close ally Belarus, making clear it would intervene to defend the country that has deployed tactical nuclear weapons.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters that Moscow was concerned about growing “provocative” activity on the Belarusian border and said it would not rule out a possible escalation in the region.
Days after Ukraine unexpectedly invaded Russia’s Kursk region on August 6, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, a loyal ally of President Vladimir Putin, suggested without evidence that Kiev might be thinking of attacking Belarus.
Minsk accused Ukrainian drones of violating its airspace and later announced it would send additional troops to its border with Ukraine, but Kiev said there would be no major changes in the border area.
“We take note of the information we have received about the intensified movements of Ukrainian troops in the border areas,” Zakharova said.
“We have observed these facts directly and are aware of ongoing attempts by Ukraine to use drones and send terrorists into the republic,” he said.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry said last month that the country “has never committed and will never commit any unfriendly actions against the Belarusian people”.
In an apparent reference to Ukraine’s Kursk offensive, Zakharova said Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has shown he is capable of taking “reckless steps” and accused him of coordinating with Washington ahead of November’s US presidential election.
“Therefore, following this logic, we do not rule out the possibility that these destructive forces could destabilize and escalate the situation in the region.”
Russia and Belarus are part of a “coalition of states” and are committed to jointly defending their common borders, he said, adding that Belarus has deployed a joint regional military organisation with Russian tactical nuclear weapons.
“The actual implementation of any aggressive approach against Minsk would have disastrous consequences not only for Ukraine but also for its sponsor countries,” he said.
