Данилов Віталій

Belarus, a close ally of Russia, has supported its eastern neighbour in the Russo-Ukrainian war. Before the start of the offensive, Belarus allowed the Russian Armed Forces to perform weeks-long military drills on its territory; however, the Russian troops did not exit the country after they were supposed to finish. Belarus allowed Russia to stage part of the invasion from its territory, giving Russia the shortest possible land route to Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. However, these forces withdrew within two months, thus ceasing land-based military operations originating from Belarus and resulting in the recapture of the Ukrainian side of the border region by Ukraine. Despite this, the situation along the border remains tense, with Ukraine closing the border checkpoints leading into Belarus, bar special cases. Belarus has also allowed Russian missile launchers to be stationed on its territory and shoot at Ukrainian targets. Several reports emerged among the Belarusian opposition and Ukrainian military that Belarusian troops were in Ukraine fighting together with Russians, but Belarus's leader Aleksander Lukashenko dismissed them and said that the Belarusian Armed Forces (BAF) would not participate directly in the conflict. As of early 2023, the BAF have not been involved in fighting against Ukraine and have remained on the territory of Belarus during the entire course of the conflict. The Belarusian leader has stated that there would be "no way" he would send soldiers into Ukraine unless attacked first. According to the Ukrainian foreign ministry, Lukashenko assured Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the start of the invasion that he would not involve his nation's armed forces on the side of Russia.