Belarus extends military drills on Ukrainian border till July 9, says Ukrainian Army

Belarus has extended its mobilisation drills on the border with Ukraine until July 9. According to state owned Ukrinform News, the Belarusian military was conducting mobilisation drills near Volyn Province and Polissya regions. While the security drills which commenced earlier on June 22, were supposed to wrap up on July 1, they have been extended for a week and will now end on July 9.

“As part of the above-mentioned measures, summonses are being served through the military commissariats of the Gomel region. In addition, doctors have been notified of a ban on traveling outside the country,”  an update by General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reads. 

Belarus, a blatant supporter of the Kremlin's military operation, has a 1,084 km long border with Ukraine. Although Minsk has not officially admitted to supporting Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, instances such as Russian planes taking off from the territory and President  Alexander Lukashenko’s ties with Putin, testify the alliance.  

Earlier this week, Lukashenko in a meeting with Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia should be ready to deploy nuclear weapons to counter the Western nations' acts of global hegemony. “We have not done it yet. But we have to be ready,” Lukashenko said, lambasting the West for conducting similar nuclear drills to subvert Russia and Belarus. Speaking alongside Lavrov, Lukashenko accused the West of a bias, stressing that "we have to defend ourselves."  Russia's foreign minister  agreed that these types of nuclear drills are in violation of the international Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1968.  

Zelenskyy says Russia has expansionist ambition

Recently, appearing at a NATO conference, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Russian Federation wants to dictate the future world order. On Wednesday, the embattled leader emphasised that Russia wanted to “absorb city after city in Europe” and that is why it was “absolutely necessary” to safeguard Ukraine. While he reiterated his demand for heavy weaponry, Zelenskyy emphasised that financial aid was equally important, adding that Ukraine requires nearly $5 billion per month for defence and protection. Additionally, he also demanded security guarantees from the west.

(Image: AP)

(With inputs from agencies)