Belarus Reinforces Border With Ukraine, Sends Additional Troops There - Lukashenko

MINSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2022) Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that Belarus was reinforcing the state border with Ukraine, sending additional forces there.

"Unfortunately, it's not easy for us with Ukraine. And we need to quickly create an appropriate grouping there to cover almost 1,500 kilometers of the border with Ukraine, a huge stretch. And this work of ours, which we planned long ago, coincided with the exercises that we agreed with Putin to hold it in the south last year," Lukashenko said as quoted by state-run agency Belta.

According to the agency, the Belarusian president noted the planned nature of the upcoming joint exercises with Russia and that they coincided with the measures that Belarus was taking to strengthen its southern borders, where an additional contingent of armed forces was sent.

"I am forced to do this, because we are no better on the border with Ukraine than with the Poles," Lukashenko explained, adding that attempts to illegally transport weapons and ammunition were repeatedly suppressed on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border.

"It's good that we detained these scoundrels, but what if not?" Lukashenko said.