Tensions Mount: Belarus Troop Deployment Unverified by Ukraine

Ukraine's border guard service has reported no signs of Belarusian troop or military movements near their border despite claims from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Minsk announced the deployment following Ukraine's recent incursion into Russia and ongoing regional tensions fueled by the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine's border guard service announced on Thursday that there has been no indication of Belarusian troop or military hardware movements near their shared border. This comes despite a recent assertion by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that the country had deployed nearly a third of its armed forces to the area.

Lukashenko's claims, made on Sunday, suggested that Kyiv had stationed over 120,000 troops along the border. However, Andriy Demchenko, spokesperson for Ukraine's border guard service, stated on national television, "We do not see any movement directly near our border—neither equipment nor personnel."

The situation along the border remains unchanged, according to Demchenko. This follows comments from Andrei Lukyanovich, commander of Belarus' air defence, who noted a significant increase in Belarusian forces, including aviation, anti-aircraft missile forces, and radio-technical troops. The developments come amid ongoing regional tensions following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

(With inputs from agencies.)