Zelensky says Russia using Belarus territory to bypass Ukrainian defenses

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday accused Russia of using residential apartment buildings in neighboring Belarus to help carry out attacks on Ukrainian targets, warning that such actions put Belarusian civilians at risk and further erode the country’s sovereignty.

Russia used Belarusian territory to launch its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Minsk has remained a close ally of the Kremlin. However, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has repeatedly said his country will not send troops to fight in Ukraine.

In a post on Telegram following a military staff meeting, Zelensky said Russian forces were attempting to bypass Ukraine’s air-defense systems by routing attacks through Belarusian territory.

“We note that the Russians are trying to bypass our defensive interceptor positions through the territory of neighboring Belarus. This is risky for Belarus,” Zelensky wrote. “It is unfortunate that Belarus is surrendering its sovereignty in favor of Russia’s aggressive ambitions.”

According to Zelensky, Ukrainian intelligence has observed Belarus deploying equipment to support Russian attacks in populated areas near the border, including residential neighborhoods.

“Antennae and other equipment are located on the roofs of ordinary five-story apartment buildings, which help guide ‘Shahed’ drones to targets in our western regions,” he said, calling it an “absolute disregard for human lives” and urging Minsk to stop allowing such practices.

The Russian and Belarusian defense ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Zelensky also said the military meeting focused on funding interceptor drones, which Ukrainian officials see as a cost-effective way to counter Russia’s increasingly intense drone attacks. He added that Ukraine’s general staff had been tasked with adjusting air-defense strategies to better protect infrastructure and frontline positions.

Earlier this month, Lukashenko said Russia’s Oreshnik ballistic missile system—described by President Vladimir Putin as impossible to intercept—had been deployed to Belarus and placed on active combat duty.

An assessment by two U.S. researchers, reported by Reuters on Friday, said Russia was likely stationing the nuclear-capable, hypersonic Oreshnik missile at a former air base in eastern Belarus, potentially strengthening Moscow’s ability to strike targets across Europe.