War in Ukraine: Alexander Lukashenko accuses Ukraine and its allies of preparing an attack on Belarus
Sylvie Claire / October 11, 2022
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Monday accused Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine of preparing "terrorist" attacks and an "uprising" in Belarus, and announced the deployment of a "regional" military grouping with Moscow.
Training in Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine of fighters including Belarusian radicals, to carry out sabotage, terrorist acts and military uprising in the country, becomes a direct threat," he said at a meeting with security officials.
"The United States and the European Union say that they will legitimize our fugitives as a political force, they plan to seriously strengthen their support for destructive elements and aggravate the situation on the western (Belarusian) border to open a second front there," he added, according to remarks quoted by the presidency.
As a result, Minsk and Moscow will deploy a joint military grouping, he said, without specifying their location.
Yesterday, through unofficial channels, we were warned of a strike being prepared from Ukrainian territory on Belarus," Lukashenko said, assuring that Kiev wanted to make "a Crimean bridge number 2", referring to the Russian bridge damaged on Saturday by an explosion.
He said he had sent a message to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, telling him not to touch with "his dirty hands even one meter of the Belarusian territory".
He also said that last week he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed on the deployment of a joint military grouping, without saying where it will be deployed and how many men it will consist of.
Due to the aggravation of the situation on the western borders of the (Russian-Belarusian) Union, we have agreed to deploy a regional grouping of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus", said Lukashenko.
"If you want peace, prepare for war", said President Lukashenko, while asserting that "there should be no war on the territory of Belarus".
Belarus, an ally of Russia in its conflict with Ukraine, has already lent its territory to the Russian army for its offensive against Ukraine, but the Belarusian army does not participate so far in the fighting on Ukrainian territory.