Belarus transfers troops to Ukraine’s border under the guise of “rotation”

Evropeiska Pravda – Saturday, 12 March 2022, 11:57

Belarus announced that 5 battalion-tactical groups will be sent to the border with Ukraine to replace the servicemen that are currently there. They deny that this is a preparation for entering the war on Russia’s side.

Source: Belarusian Ministry of Defence on Telegram

Details: On behalf of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, First Deputy Defence Minister Major General Viktor Gulevich, it is reported that five battalion tactical groups (BTGs) are currently stationed on the southern border of Belarus alongside the border guards "in order to prevent nationalist armed groups from entering the Republic of Belarus from the territory of Ukraine, as well as to prevent the illegal delivery of weapons, ammunition and explosives."

The tactical groups on the border with Ukraine are said to carry out reconnaissance missions, patrol the border, ensure the security of strategic objects, and provide road defence.

According to the Chief of the General Staff of Belarus: "We are planning to replace them [the servicemen currently on the border] with five BTGs in the near future. Units that have completed their tasks to protect the state border will return to their permanent locations…

The transfer of troops is in no way related to the Belarusian military preparing for, or moreover, participating in, the special military operation on the territory of Ukraine. I can assure the relatives and friends of our servicemen that our Armed Forces are carrying out tasks to ensure the military security of Belarus only on its own territory."

Background: On 11 March, Air Force Command for the Armed Forces of Ukraine issued a report about provocation carried out by the Russian Federation to facilitate Belarusian involvement in war: an attack by Russian aircraft from the territory of Ukraine on a Belarusian village near the border with Ukraine.

The Ministry of Defence of Belarus stated that this information was not true.

Information about the possible entry of Belarus into the war on the evening of 11 March was also not substantiated.

On Friday, the self-proclaimed President of Belarus, Alexandr Lukashenko, spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Lukashenko’s staff reported that at the meeting he had confirmed discounts on energy resources and the import of weapons.