A screenshot from a video released by the State Border Committee of Belarus
MINSK, 28 June (BelTA) – Border guard personnel of the Mozyr branch of the State Border Committee of Belarus used combat weapons and jamming solutions to stop the violation of the air space by a quadcopter flying from Ukraine’s territory deep into the Republic of Belarus, BelTA learned from the spokesman of the State Border Committee of Belarus Anton Bychkovsky.
Anton Bychkovsky said that the State Border Committee possesses information that there are units of the so-called Russian Volunteer Corps in the responsibility area of the Zhitomir border service branch in Ukraine. The units have been reconnoitering the terrain and performing active intelligence-gathering activities, including by approaching the Belarusian border.
“We regularly register reconnaissance flights of Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles. Attempts of drones to fly into our territory are stopped using organic weapons and radioelectronic warfare solutions,” the Belarusian border service spokesman noted.
“A border patrol dispatched by a border guard station of the Mozyr border service branch used combat weapons and jamming solutions to stop the violation of the air space by a quadcopter flying from Ukraine’s territory deep into the Republic of Belarus in Yelsk District, Gomel Oblast on 26 June. The unmanned aerial vehicle was forced to land 150 meters away from the state border,” Anton Bychkovsky cited a concrete example.
“The drone’s memory card contained video files. They were analyzed to reveal that the aerial vehicle had been scouting industrial facilities in the area near the border as well as border infrastructure installations,” the official added.
Anton Bychkovsky also mentioned that the Belarusian border service takes measures to enhance the defense of the state border with Ukraine.
It has been reported earlier that units of the Ukrainian army, including special operations forces and special units of the Central Intelligence Office of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, which are located in the responsibility area of the Zhitomir branch of Ukraine’s border service, have been recently reinforced.
Various armed units are concentrating on the other side of the border, including units with heavy weapons such as multi-purpose light-armored towing vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles, including U.S. Bradley fighting vehicles, multiple-launch rocket systems HIMARS, M777 howitzers, German-made self-propelled anti-aircraft guns GEPARD as well as other means of destruction.
Belarusian border service patrols at the Ukrainian border have been reinforced. Border service personnel and the Defense Ministry respond to changes of the situation by increasing the density of cover of the state border, including thanks to capabilities of southern maneuvering forces, which are equipped with modern weapons and military hardware. Additional measures are being taken to reconnoiter and check the state of the regime at the state border.
Actions meant to ensure border security are being taken in tight collaboration with units of Belarus’ Armed Forces and are meant to prevent an aggravation of the situation at the border and prevent provocations. All the provocations will be stopped immediately by agencies in charge of ensuring national security, the State Border Committee of Belarus stressed.