Belarus Warns Ukraine Over Airspace Violations

Belarus summoned the Ukrainian charge d'affaires, demanding Kyiv to prevent further airspace violations after Belarusian President Lukashenko reported the destruction of a dozen Ukrainian drones. Failure to comply could jeopardize Ukraine's diplomatic representation in Minsk, escalating regional tensions.

Belarus' Foreign Ministry summoned the Ukrainian charge d'affaires on Saturday, urging Kyiv to take action against airspace violations. This development follows President Alexander Lukashenko's announcement that Belarusian forces had destroyed a dozen Ukrainian drones in its airspace, as reported by Russia's Tass news agency.

According to a ministry statement reported by Tass, Belarus warned that if Ukraine does not prevent such incidents from happening again, the appropriateness of Ukraine's diplomatic presence in Minsk will be questioned. The ministry demanded comprehensive measures to avoid future violations, which could escalate regional tensions.

Lukashenko specified that Belarusian air defense forces had intercepted and destroyed several drones in the eastern Mogilev region, bordering Russia, and others were later downed near the Russian city of Yaroslavl. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that six drones were intercepted in the Yaroslavl region.

(With inputs from agencies.)