Zelensky Says Ukraine Ready to Defend Against Belarus Threat

May 21 ------ President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is preparing responses to possible Russian operations involving Belarus in the northern border regions. Ukrainian intelligence has analyzed Russian planning for potential operations in the Chernihiv-Kyiv sector after a meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on Wednesday, according to Zelensky. “For every possible enemy scenario, we are preparing responses if the Russians truly decide to expand their aggression,” Zelensky said.

He added that Ukraine is preparing additional diplomatic measures targeting Belarus, which Kyiv believes Russia could use to escalate the war. “I instructed Ukraine’s foreign ministry to prepare additional diplomatic pressure measures regarding Belarus, which Russia may use for such an expansion of the war,” Zelensky said. “Our task now is to strengthen our state so that none of the five Russian scenarios for expanding the war through northern Ukraine can succeed,” he added.

Earlier, Belarus’s defense ministry said it had launched exercises with Russian participation, including drills involving units tasked with the use of nuclear weapons and support operations. On Friday, Zelensky said Russia currently lacks the capacity to mobilize enough troops to sustain renewed offensives via Belarus, but he later added that Russia could opt for “political decisions of a different format,” including moves similar to recent actions regarding Moldova’s Transnistria region.

Belarus, which borders Ukraine to the north, was used by Russia as a launching pad during the opening days of the 2022 invasion following joint military drills between the two countries. Minsk has so far refrained from committing its own forces and is not considered a direct participant in the war.

Ukraine prepares new long-range strikes

Zelensky said Ukraine is also preparing to expand the long-range strikes against Russian targets. “Preparing an expansion of the geography of our long-range sanctions, which have already proven highly effective,” Zelensky reported. Ukrainian forces struck multiple Russian targets on Wednesday, including the Lukoil refinery in Kstovo and other oil infrastructure, causing fires and confirmed damage. Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) commander Robert “Madyar” Brovdy said 10 major Russian refineries have been hit since the start of May, with six forced to halt operations. The strikes also targeted command posts, ammunition depots, and drone control centers.

Source: kyivpost.com