Belarusian Defense Minister Says There Is A Possibility Of Ukraine Carrying Out Armed Provocations

Ukraine's border guard with Belarus. (Wikimedia Commons/dpsu.gov.ua/have fun

JAKARTA - Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said on Friday there was a high probability of armed provocations from neighboring Ukraine, calling the situation on their common border "mainten tense", government news agency Belta reported.

Khrenin's comments came more than a week after Ukraine sent thousands of troops across Russia's western border in a surprise attack.

"Given the presence of Ukrainian armed formations in border areas, there is a high possibility of preparing and carrying out armed provocations in our territory, as well as high-level measures, including involving Belarusian nationalist formations," Defense Minister Khrenin said.

The Ukrainian military did not immediately return a written request for comment.

Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said on Friday there was a high probability of armed provocations from neighboring Ukraine, calling the situation on the border with them "stay tense", government news agency Belta reported.

Most recently, President Lukashenko urged Russia and Ukraine to negotiate to end the conflict, so that war does not spread to his country.

He said the West was pushing Kyiv to war, because they wanted Ukraine and Russia to destroy each other.

"Let's sit at the negotiating table and end this dispute," he said.

He spoke with the background of the Ukrainian attack on Russia which began on August 6 as thousands of Kyiv troops broke through Russia's western border which was very embarrassing for Putin's military officials.

"Both the people of Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus do not need it. They (Western) need it," continued President Lukashenko.

Russia itself said on Thursday it would increase border defenses as hundreds of thousands of people were ordered to flee the western Kursk region.

On the other hand, Kyiv said its troops had advanced 35 km (22 miles) to Russia since last week and continued to control the territory.

President Lukashenko accused the West of betting that the unstable situation in Kursk would push for the mobilization of troops in Belarus and Russia and "shake the public from within."

"We don't want an escalation and we don't want a fight against the entire NATO. We don't want that," he said.

But if Ukraine really provokes Belarus, Lukashenko warns, "we have no other choice."

Lukashenko called the conflict a "joint war" of Belarus and Russia against "barrel creatures" - Kyiv and its Western allies - saying Moscow would "support us" if Belarus was attacked.

In addition, President Lukashenko repeated claims about airspace violations and said Belarusian troops were sent to the border to "prevent breakthroughs."

He stressed that Minsk saw no reason to use Russian nuclear weapons, which were deployed in Belarus last year, unless its borders were violated.

"We will not use any weapons until you set foot on our country's borders."