Belarusian General Issues Warning to Ukraine if It Enters Territory

A general from Vladimir Putin's closest ally Belarus has said that its citizens would be ready to take up arms if Ukrainian troops were to attack the country.

The view of Viktor Tumar, deputy chief of the Belarusian General Staff, follows comments last week by the country's president Alexander Lukashenko that a third of Belarus' army had been deployed to its border with Ukraine due to the presence of 120,000 Ukrainian soldiers there.

In the case of a Ukrainian incursion into Belarus, Tumar said that "people would be given the opportunity to defend their homes with weapons."

Belarus borders both Russia and Ukraine. There is no evidence that Ukraine's military plans to enter Belarus. Public opinion polls among Belarusians show they largely oppose the country's involvement in the war and the use of their territory by Russia.

However, pro-Ukrainian partisan groups have emerged in Belarus and are believed to have been behind sabotage attacks, such as on railways, which are aimed at curtailing Putin's aggression. This is also a reflection of the domestic opposition to Lukashenko who is described as the "last dictator of Europe."

Meanwhile, there is speculation over the objectives of Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk region, its first foray into foreign territory since the start of the war.

"Sabotage and reconnaissance groups would no longer be able to move freely, and the Ukrainians would not be able to shoot civilian cars for no reason," Tumar told the Nasha Niva news outlet. "That's what our idea and defense is about—it's the people," he said, according to a translation.

Lukashenko has avoided Minsk's direct involvement in the war, although he has allowed Putin to use Belarusian territory to stage attacks on Ukraine.

There has been speculation that Belarus could eventually play a bigger role in Ukraine following a deal signed by the leaders in January which increased closer economic ties with Moscow among the members of what is known as the "Union State."

In 2023, Russian tactical warheads were transported to Belarus. Minsk then introduced into its military doctrine the possibility of using them to respond to external threats, although Putin has insisted they are completely under Moscow's control.

In June, Russia and Belarus started nuclear weapons exercises as part of the "second stage" of drills between the countries with a video showing an Iskander missile system being driven and its missiles raised: MiG-31 supersonic interceptors with Kinzhal missiles and Tupolev Tu-22M3 long-range supersonic bombers.

On August 18, Lukashenko said that Belarus had stationed forces along its border "to provide defense in the event of a war" and that Ukrainian forces were by the frontier in anticipation that "Putin will again advance from the territory of Belarus."

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