Ukraine increases minefield density by 16 times along Belarusian border
The density of mines along Ukraine’s northern border with Belarus has increased 16 times since June 2022, according to Lt. Gen. Serhii Naev, the Joint Forces Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, on Oct. 20.
"More than 500 thousand anti-tank mines have been installed in the main directions of the enemy's possible offensive [to the north] since June 2022,” Naev said.
“In particular, anti-tank minefields, anti-tank mine groups, sets of anti-personnel explosive devices, land mines, and mined obstacles have undergone increased density by 16 times.”
The defense lines have been equipped with fortifications and a system of engineering obstacles.
Non-explosive obstacles and infrastructure facilities, including bridges and roads, have also been installed in northern Ukraine, Naev said.
As of the beginning of October, there were about 2,000 Russian military personnel in Belarus, the monitoring group Belarusian Hajun reported on Oct. 16.
Before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the regime of dictator Alexander Lukashenko provided its territory to the Russian military, allowing its forces to attack Kyiv. The Russian army has also launched missile attacks on Ukrainian cities from there.
Belarusian troops are not directly involved in the fighting, but Ukraine fears that Minsk could still use its armed forces to re-invade from the north.
Russia has withdrawn most of its troops from Belarus, Ukrainian State Border Guard Service spokesman Andriy Demchenko announced on Sept. 7.
Earlier, it was reported that Russia had transferred troops to participate in its offensive on the Kupyansk-Lyman section of the front in eastern Ukraine, according to Naev.
On the Ukrainian border with Belarus, the Ukrainian border guards do not record the movement of enemy equipment and personnel.
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