Belarus deployed troops alongside Russian forces near Ukraine on Monday. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said this was in response to a clear threat Kyiv and its backers in the West pose to his country.
What Happened: Lukashenko, a staunch ally of Vladimir Putin, has supported Russia's war in Ukraine for a very long time. The remarks from the Belarusian president indicated further potential escalation of the Ukraine war, possibly with a Russian-Belarus joint force in Ukraine's north.
"Strikes on the territory of Belarus are not just being discussed in Ukraine today, but are also being planned," Lukashenko said at a meeting on security, reported Reuters, noting that the president did not provide any evidence for the assertion.
"We have been preparing for this for decades. If necessary, we will respond," Lukashenko added, saying that he also spoke to Putin about the situation while at a meeting in St Petersburg.
Lukashenko added that a warning was delivered to his country through unofficial channels that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was planning "Crimean Bridge 2" after a recent explosion on the bridge connecting Russia and Crimea.
"My answer was simple: 'Tell the president of Ukraine and the other lunatics: if they touch one meter of our territory, then the Crimean Bridge will seem to them like a walk in the park'."
Earlier in July, Lukashenko faced a prospect of a revolt against him by his military for siding with Putin in the Ukraine war. After the Belarusian leader said he would "remain together with fraternal Russia," his military officer class warned him against sending Belarusian soldiers to fight in Ukraine.
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