Russia is increasing pressure on Belarus to expand its role in the war against Ukraine and potentially support future military operations, The Wall Street Journal reported.
According to the outlet, Moscow wants to use Belarusian territory to open a new front against Ukraine.
Such a move could force Kyiv to redeploy troops from the eastern battlefield, while other options under discussion reportedly include operations aimed at testing NATO’s defenses.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Belarus is not directly participating in Russia’s military campaign against Ukraine.
While Belarus has avoided direct involvement in the conflict since allowing Russian forces to use its territory during the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, military cooperation between the two countries has continued to deepen.
According to The Wall Street Journal, around 2,000 Russian troops remain stationed in Belarus, while Russian tactical nuclear weapons are also deployed in the country.
Beyond military cooperation, Belarus has recently supplied Russia with gasoline and other refined petroleum products to help offset fuel shortages caused by Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil and refinery infrastructure.
According to The Wall Street Journal, a key element of the military cooperation is Russia’s use of ground-control stations on Belarusian territory to support long-range drone operations against Ukraine.
The report aligns with Ukrainian claims made in May that intercepted radio signals indicated some Shahed drones were being guided through command infrastructure in Belarus.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Kyiv would target the control stations if Belarus continued to allow their use, saying they had supported attacks on the Rivne, Zhytomyr, and Volyn regions.
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