Attack denied

Belarus claims to have thwarted attack from Lithuania

A soldier in Minsk

(Bild: AFP)

According to security chief Ivan Tertel, Belarus has thwarted a drone attack on the capital Minsk. It is said to have been launched from Lithuania, although this is denied.

The State Security Committee, in cooperation with other law enforcement agencies, had recently carried out several urgent security measures that had made it possible to prevent attacks by combat drones from the territory of Lithuania on objects in Minsk and its suburbs, Tertel was quoted as saying on Thursday.

The military of NATO member Lithuania stated that it had not taken any hostile action against another state. Belarus is an ally of Russia and has made its territory available for the start of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Lukashenko fears NATO troops in the country
According to the Russian agency RIA, the autocratic Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said that the opposition in his country is planning to seize a district in western Belarus and request support from NATO troops. "I don't know why they chose the Kobrin district, but they are talking a lot about it. They plan to occupy it (...) and ask NATO to deploy troops," Lukashenko said. It was initially unclear what he was basing his statements on.

All of the country's main opposition figures are in prison or have been forced into exile. Lukashenko is an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and in the past has often cited the threat of an attack by NATO or Ukraine as justification for keeping his military and security apparatus on constant high alert.