Belarus says it will inspect armed forces to ensure ‘combat readiness’

Belarus has said it is about to begin an inspection of its armed forces to ensure they were combat ready.

The statement came a day after Minsk said it had ordered its soldiers to deploy with Russian forces near Ukraine in response to what it said was a clear threat from Kyiv and its allies in the West.

President Alexander Lukashenko has in recent months repeatedly claimed that Ukraine is preparing to attack Belarus, though he has offered no evidence.

“During the inspection, military units and sub-units will work out the issues of putting on combat readiness,” the Defence Ministry said. The inspection will begin on Tuesday.

It added: “All the activities currently being carried out are aimed at responding adequately to actions near our borders.”

For its part, the Ukrainian army general staff said it has not seen evidence of troop movements or a build-up of offensive forces in Belarus but warned that Russia could continue to strike “peaceful neighbourhoods” and critical infrastructure in Ukraine with missiles.

Despite this there was also a claim on Tuesday that Russian troops were “entering Belarus by the trainload”, according to the Kyiv Post.

Twenty four hours earlier, in a seemingly ominous development, Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko said he was anticipating an attack that officials in Kyiv were preparing an attack.

The comments immediately raised fears that the war in Ukraine, the worst European conflict in a generation, may be on the verge of spreading.

“Strikes on the territory of Belarus are not just being discussed in Ukraine today, but are also being planned,” Mr Lukashenko said at a meeting on security, without providing evidence for the assertion.

“Their owners are pushing them to start a war against Belarus to drag us there.

“We have been preparing for this for decades. If necessary, we will respond,” he said, adding that he had spoken to Mr Putin about the situation at a meeting in St Petersburg.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said it is unlikely a joint Russian-Belarus force would launch an attack on Ukraine from the north.

Analysts at the think tank said the Russian component of such a force would “likely be comprised of low-readiness mobilised men or conscripts who likely will not pose a significant conventional military threat to Ukraine”.

Belarus borders Ukraine on Kyiv’s northern border.

Meanwhile, the leader of the democratic opposition in Belarus, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, called on all Russian troops to leave the country.

In a tweet she said Belarus must “officially withdraw from Russian war participation” and form “an alliance against Russian aggression”.

Her comments came on the anniversary of a huge anti-government march in Belarus, protesting against a flawed presidential election in 2020, which Lukashenko returned to power for a sixth term in office.

Lukashenko, who bought Vladimir Putin a tractor for his 70th birthday last week, has been in power since July 1994.

France threatened more sanctions on Belarus if it became more deeply involved in the war, foreign affairs minister Catherine Colonna said on Tuesday.