MINSK, August 18 Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said that a group of troops aimed at strengthening the border with Ukraine is already in place and is ready to respond to any provocations from Kiev.
Khrenin previously reported that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko gave instructions to strengthen the group of troops in the Gomel and Mozyr tactical directions in the south of the republic, where it borders Ukraine.
«The southern operational direction is being strengthened by the corresponding group of troops, which is already in the area of implementing the tasks. We are ready to respond to any provocations from the Ukrainian regime, which is already in agony, because, unfortunately, we cannot be sure of the adequacy of the actions that they can throw at us,» the minister said in an interview with the Belarus 1 TV channel.
Earlier, Lukashenko reported that on August 9, Ukrainian, presumably attack drones were shot down over the territory of the republic, and some more drones were destroyed by Russian colleagues over the territory of the Russian Federation. The Belarusian leader called this a provocation, noting that it will not go unanswered.