Putin using “Belarusian factor” to distract Ukraine’s forces - defense intel

Russian President Vladimir Putin is using the Belarusian military to distract Ukrainian forces and create additional zones of tension.

That’s according to Andriy Yusov, the spokesman for Ukraine’s defense intelligence, who spoke on the air of the national telethon, Ukrinform reports.

In response to journalist’s request to assess the likelihood of Belarusian armed forces becoming directly involved in the Russo-Ukrainian war, the spokesman said: "Nothing has changed throughout this entire period. Indeed, Putin uses the Belarusian factor to distract Ukrainian forces, reserves, to create some additional zones of tension, but in fact, Putin never succeeded in directly involving the Belarusian army in his war of aggression against Ukraine, in operations on the ground. And now there is no such intel. But the situation is being monitored, tracked, and studied," Yusov said.

As reported earlier with reference to the Belarusian Defense Ministry, Belarusian military will undergo training on Russian soil. As part of training, the Russians are set to share battlefield experience gained in Ukraine. The official report stopped short of specifying military branches expected to undergo training in Russia.

Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko supported Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and allowed the use of his country’s military infrastructure and airspace for the Russian invasion of Ukraine and strikes targeting Ukrainian cities.