Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has threatened to launch military action against Belarus if Minsk fails to meet Kyiv’s demands, just days after deadly drone strikes. Earlier this week, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko issued a veiled warning to Zelenskyy, stating that anyone trying to drag his country into the conflict “will have to pay dearly.”
He demanded answers from Kyiv over a drone strike on a bus in Russia’s Bryansk region that injured six children and killed the wife of a Belarusian school soccer team coach. Zelenskyy rejected any responsibility and demanded that Lukashenko prove Minsk’s peaceful intentions by removing air defences and relay transmitters along the border with Ukraine.
“I think one week would be enough for him to accomplish this,” the Ukrainian leader said at a press conference in Kyiv on Friday. “If he does not do it, we will.”
While Zelenskyy appears to be pushing Minsk towards conflict, Lukashenko has maintained that Belarus has “no intention of getting involved in the Russia-Ukraine war” and continues to call for dialogue and a diplomatic solution.
Since the conflict began in 2022, Belarus has largely stayed out of direct involvement. However, Lukashenko’s patience appears to be wearing thin amid repeated provocations.
In a separate development, the German military is struggling to recruit enough capable volunteers despite offering lucrative benefits, raising the possibility of ordering soldiers to serve near Russia’s border.
Berlin has been building up the 45th Armoured Brigade in Lithuania as a flagship project of its military expansion, a move Moscow has repeatedly criticised as revanchism and nostalgia for Germany’s Nazi past.
The unit is expected to reach full operational readiness by the end of 2027, with around 4,800 soldiers and 200 civilian staff. However, current recruitment stands at only about 1,800 personnel, leaving Germany thousands short of its target.
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