Ukraine asks France for data on flights of aircraft and drones over Belarus
France has refused to provide Ukraine access to information that would allow its aircraft to fly over Belarus unseen.
Source: French newspaper Le Monde, as reported by European Pravda
Details: The newspaper states that the Ukrainian authorities have asked Paris for a digital map of Belarusian territory called DTED (Digital Terrain Elevation Data), which is necessary for low-altitude air missions.
DTEDs provide a detailed description of the terrain, as well as a list of obstacles such as high-voltage power lines or wind turbines, and above all, military equipment that could pose a danger to the aircraft, such as radars or anti-aircraft systems.
Quote: "This includes all the tactical data needed to fly at very low altitudes, at night or in poor visibility," the military source said, adding that such flights allow the aircraft to remain effectively undetected.
Details: The source suggested that Ukraine needed such data to strike military facilities in Belarus used to attack Ukrainian territory.
As the newspaper writes, France has refused to provide Ukraine with DTED data on Belarus. Justifying the refusal, Paris said that its support would be unwavering as long as Kyiv defends only Ukrainian territory but that participation in operations on foreign territory is out of the question.
"French military sources point out that Ukraine has presumably made such a request to other members of the coalition who support its efforts against Russian aggression. Kyiv would turn to France only after being rejected," Le Monde adds.
Ukraine has not officially confirmed any strikes on Belarusian territory, but Minsk accused it of attacking an A-50 AWACS aircraft at the Machulishchy military airfield earlier this year.
However, Ukrainian-Belarusian relations reached their lowest point in history after Alexander Lukashenko, self-proclaimed President of Belarus, met with Denis Pushilin, Leader of the Russian-backed DPR [self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic – ed.].
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