Russia's closest ally, Belarus, has said that its military would shoot down any aircraft that came into its airspace in what appears to be Minsk's latest threat to NATO.
The warning by Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin comes as the Polish Foreign Ministry told Newsweek that Minsk's rhetoric was destabilizing the region. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Poland, a NATO member, was plotting with Washington to carry out a "large-scale provocation." Newsweek contacted NATO for comment on Friday.
Lukashenko is Putin's closest ally and so far refrained from closer Belarusian involvement in his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, although the country he has ruled with an iron fist has been used as a staging post by Moscow's forces.
"Minsk will not stand on ceremony in the event of its air space is violated," Khrenin told Kremlin-linked Russia 24, according to Belarusian state media outlet TVR, "If they lose their minds [and enter our airspace], of course we'll shoot them down without warning."
The Belarusian outlet reported that Khrenin warned of Poland's deployment of defense systems in the northern Polish village of Redzikowo as well as "aggressive militaristic statements by the Polish leadership regarding the increase in the number of their Armed Forces."
Khrenin added that NATO exercises held near the borders of Belarus were not transparent and said that joint Russian-Belarusian military drills would take place in 2025 as tensions between Lukashenko's regime and the West increase.
There is speculation that an agreement struck last month between leaders to integrate more closely the economies of Russia and Belarus—known as the Union State—could presage Belarusian forces joining with Russian troops on the battlefield, However, as yet, there are no indications this will happen.
Belarusian leader Lukashenko told his security and military officials on Tuesday that Polish-American intelligence was preparing "a large-scale provocation against Polish civilians, which will be blamed on Russia and Belarus."
However, the Polish Foreign Ministry told Newsweek in a statement that Lukashenko's comments were further example of Minsk's hostile and confrontational policy.
"Baseless accusations and the shifting of responsibility by the Belarusian authorities for the current situation in the region have permanently entered the arsenal of Minsk's foreign policy tools," the ministry said. "They serve as an excuse for the introduction of more solutions whose only aim is further escalation."
"Belarus acts as one of the main destabilizing factors of the security situation in the region," Warsaw's statement added. "While Belarus has already made numerous accusations and allegations against Poland in the past, so far it is only Minsk's actions that have been the source of all tensions."
Elsewhere in the interview with Russia 24, Khrenin also accused the West of using crewed and uncrewed aircraft as well as satellites to conduct reconnaissance in Belarus ahead of military action.
"The West is taking an active interest in our strategic settlements and military bases," Khrenin said. However, he added that Minsk did not need to build up its forces on the border with Ukraine where sabotage groups posed a greater threat.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London, UK. His focus is Russia and Ukraine, in particular ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
