KYIV, Ukraine – As Russian forces fail to capture land in eastern Ukraine and fortify defensive positions in the south, Ukrainian officials are warning of a buildup of Russian long-range missile systems. north, in Belarus, which served as a key ground force for Moscow during the war.
Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the top commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said in a statement on Tuesday that the placement of Russian missile systems along the Ukrainian border in Belarus “causes concern.” He is special quote The missile is located at the Zyabrovka airfield, about 15 miles from the border.
While this is not the first time Ukrainian officials have warned of a threat from the north, the statement was made all the more urgent following Tuesday’s explosions at a Russian ammunition depot in CrimeaRussia’s second military target on the peninsula was hit by explosions in a week.
Ukraine has not publicly claimed responsibility for the explosions – or last week’s explosion at the Saki airbase on Crimea – but a senior Ukrainian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said both were caused by military and secret operators staged.
As Ukraine increasingly attacks Russian targets deep behind the front lines, with the help of Western weapons, and staged secret attacks against Moscow’s supply lines in eastern and southern Ukraine, the accumulation in Belarus serves as a reminder that Russian forces still encircle Ukraine from three sides. Russia also holds an overwhelming advantage in heavy weapons.
Anton Gerashenko, adviser to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, tweeted on Wednesday that Russia has concentrated “a large number of surface-to-air missile systems” at Zyabrovka, including the S-400, one of the Russia’s most advanced anti-aircraft weapon.
Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesman for the Air Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, also highlighted the threat of a potential Russian attack from Belarus in comments to reporters on Tuesday, co. time noted that the Ukrainian military regularly observes the movement of Russian troops and equipment around Belarus, Moscow’s most flexible ally.
During the early stages of the Russian invasion, which began in February, President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko of Belarus authorized the Russian military to use its territory to conduct a ground operation to capture Kyiv, capital of Ukraine, although the attempt ultimately failed.
Since then, Russia has continued to use Belarus as a training ground for bombardment. In late July, Ukraine said 25 missiles had been fired by Russian forces in Belarus towards regions of northern Ukraine. This week, the Ukrainian Air Force said that Russian warplanes used Belarusian airspace to launch missiles at the northern city of Zhytomyr.
“There is always a certain threat from the territory of Belarus, and let me remind you that it is its territory that Russia has been using since the very first days of its full-scale invasion,” Ihnat said. face. Be prepared for possible missile attacks.”
The construction is seen as an important link in the supply line to Russia’s occupying forces in southern Ukraine, the Crimean peninsula on the Black Sea, which is under attack.
Explosions in Crimea have weakening Moscow’s control over the peninsulawhich it illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014. President Vladimir V. Putin has called Crimea a “mecca” of Russia.
While the extent of the damage from the explosions remains unclear, Ukrainian officials are preparing a response from Moscow, which calls the explosion at the ammunition depot an “act of sabotage” – an admission It is clear that the war is spreading to what the Kremlin considers Russian Territory. Last week, following the explosion at the airbase, Russian media reported that the commander of the Kremlin’s Black Sea Navy fleet, based in Crimea, had been replaced.
British Defense Intelligence Agency say on wednesday that “Russian commanders will most likely become increasingly concerned about the apparent deterioration in security across Crimea, which functions as the backstop of the occupation.”
