Ukrainian officials warn that Belarus could join Russian invasion on Friday

Ukrainian officials have warned that Belarusian troops might join Russian’s invasion force and that troops could cross the border within hours.

The alert was issued by the Ukrainian government’s Center for Strategic Communications just hours after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko traveled to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the New York Post reported.

“According to preliminary data, Belarusian troops may be drawn into an invasion on March 11 at 21:00 (1900 GMT),” the center said in a statement.

Earlier on Friday afternoon, Ukrainian officials blasted the Kremlin for allegedly running a false-flag operation against Belarusian civilian targets.

According to a Ukrainian Air Force report, the border authorities learned that Russian jets took off from an airfield in Belarus at 2:30 p.m. local time, crossed into Ukrainian air space and then fired at the Belarusian village of Kopani, Radio Free Europe reported. 

Since Putin first ordered the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, Belarus has served as a staging ground for Russian forces and missiles, planes and military supplies regularly enter Ukraine through the country’s northern frontier. Lukashenko, however, has repeatedly stated that Belarusian armed forces would not take part in Russia’s “special military operation.”

Reports have signaled that the Belarusian military is weary of committing forces to Putin’s campaign, however.

Franak Viačorka, an adviser to exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, told Israeli reporters on Monday that several military officers have resigned and many have even left the country.

Ukraine’s former Deputy Defense Minister confirmed this claim when reported that Belarus’ deputy defense minister and military chief of staff, Viktor Gulevich, resigned after reporting that he hadn't been able to organize any battalion tactical group.

The head of the General Staff of Belarus, Gulevych resigned. He reported that he hadn't been able to organize any battalion tactical group. Belarus people don't want to fight against #Ukrainians. pic.twitter.com/O58QhgCtO1

— KyivPost (@KyivPost) March 6, 2022

According to Viačorka, “there is a high degree of demoralization” among both officers and conscripts. He claimed that many “are fleeing the country’s borders en masse to any destination possible.” Viačorka added, “We have seen growing pressure from commanders of military units not to intervene in the fighting in Ukraine. There are officers who took sick leave and others who have asked to end their contracts with the military.”

In recent days, there have also been reports that upwards of 500 Belarusians will join Ukraine in the fight against the Kremlin’s invading forces. A video of one such battalion, named after Belarusian revolutionary Kastus Kalinouski, was recently shared on Twitter.

In #Ukraine, Belarusians have created a separate battalion named after Kastus Kalinouski to defend Kyiv. According to them, more than 200 Belarusians have joined the territorial defense of Ukraine, another 300 intend to go to Ukraine. #Belarus pic.twitter.com/9PUxvcjXd9

— Hanna Liubakova (@HannaLiubakova) March 9, 2022