Belarus again helps Russian drones attack western Ukraine - State Border Guard Service

Belarus has again switched on repeaters that, according to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, help Russian attack drones fly deeper into Ukrainian territory. The SBGS said similar infrastructure was also used during the recent attack near the Yahodyn border crossing on the border with Poland.

This was said in a comment by SBGS spokesperson Andriy Demchenko.

He said Russian Shahed and Herber drones, entering from Russian territory, can move along the Belarusian border and receive boosted signals from repeaters located in Belarus. This, according to the SBGS, allows the drones to advance further into western Ukraine - in particular to Rivne, Volyn and Lviv regions.

"And the attack, for example, toward the Yahodyn border crossing was also carried out with Belarus' assistance," Demchenko said.

On the night of September 13, during the Russian attack on Volyn, a gas station near Yahodyn on the border with Poland was damaged. A fire broke out on the gas station territory after debris fell, and trucks were damaged. Railway infrastructure was also attacked near the border. The crossing itself continued operating.

Demchenko reminded that in summer Ukraine had already demanded Minsk stop the operation of such devices. On June 19, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that repeaters helping Russian drones carry out strikes were operating on Belarusian territory along the Ukrainian border and gave the Belarusian side a week to dismantle them.

Zelenskyy later reported the repeaters stopped working from June 22, although at that time Ukraine had no confirmation the equipment was physically dismantled. Now, according to the SBGS spokesperson, they have been turned on again.

At the same time, Demchenko stressed that despite the threat from the Belarusian direction, Ukrainian forces currently do not detect near the border any formation or buildup of a strike group ready for invasion.

The attacks on Volyn's railway infrastructure continue. On September 16, the president reported a Russian strike on an electric locomotive in Kovel. The SBGS did not claim this particular attack was carried out with the use of Belarusian repeaters.

Sources: Ukrinform, Ukrinform, Suspilne Lutsk.