Ukraine's Foreign Ministry protested Belarus's statements about a drone attack
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expressed an official protest regarding the summoning of a Ukrainian diplomat in Minsk and accusations of an alleged drone attack on a Belarusian truck in Russia's Bryansk region. Kyiv rejected the Belarusian authorities' statements, calling them unsubstantiated, and warned that it is unacceptable to use the incident to create additional threats to Ukraine.
This is stated in a commentary by Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhyi, published on October 9 on the ministry's official website.
The Ukrainian foreign policy agency stressed that the Belarusian side has not provided convincing evidence of Ukraine's involvement in the incident involving a truck on Russian territory.
“We consider it groundless to place responsibility on Ukraine without disclosing convincing evidence of involvement,” the statement reads.
In Kyiv, particular attention was paid to Minsk's threats to take retaliatory measures. The Foreign Ministry noted that the accusations are accompanied by claims of Ukraine's alleged deliberate attempts to drag Belarus into an armed conflict.
The Ukrainian agency rejected such statements, recalling that it is Belarus that provides Russia with extensive support in the war against Ukraine.
The Foreign Ministry emphasized that the Belarusian authorities facilitate Russian aggression, so their attempts to portray Ukraine as a source of threats to Belarus do not correspond to the real circumstances.
In addition, the Ukrainian side condemned attempts to shift responsibility for the consequences of Russian aggression onto Kyiv and artificially increase tensions in the region.
Ukraine called on Belarus to refrain from unfounded accusations, threats, and information manipulation.
The diplomatic agency also warned that attempts to use the incident in the Bryansk region to justify further support for Russia or create new threats to Ukraine are unacceptable.
Why the diplomatic conflict arose
Earlier, on October 9, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus summoned Ukraine's charge d'affaires Ivan Novytskyi and handed him a note of protest.
The reason was an incident on October 8 in Russia's Bryansk region. According to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, a Ukrainian drone attacked a truck with Belarusian license plates.
As a result of the incident, according to Minsk, a Belarusian citizen who was in the vehicle was seriously injured. The woman was hospitalized and required surgery. Belarusian diplomats stated that they are in contact with Russian authorities regarding assistance to the victim.
Press Secretary of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry Ruslan Varankov claimed that the vehicle's ownership was obvious, so the Belarusian authorities consider the incident a deliberate attack.
However, Minsk has not provided any public evidence that the drone belonged to Ukraine or that the Belarusian truck was specifically targeted.
During the meeting with the Ukrainian diplomat, the Belarusian side stated that it had previously warned Kyiv about the inadmissibility of such actions.
Minsk also emphasized that it places responsibility for the consequences of such incidents on the Ukrainian authorities and reserves the right to retaliatory measures.
However, the representative of the foreign policy agency did not name any specific actions Belarus might take against Ukraine.
Ukraine rejected Minsk's threats
In its response statement, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry drew attention to the contradiction between Belarus's accusations and its role in Russian aggression.
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Belarusian territory has been used by Russian troops to advance on Ukraine and carry out strikes. Kyiv has repeatedly stated that further involvement of Belarusian territory and infrastructure in military actions is unacceptable.
The Ukrainian side considers attempts by Minsk to use the current incident as a basis for expanding assistance to the Russian army or creating additional threats to Ukraine's security unacceptable.
Thus, after the presentation of the Belarusian note of protest, a new exchange of official diplomatic statements took place between Kyiv and Minsk. The central points of disagreement remain the accusations that the drone belonged to Ukraine and the alleged deliberate nature of the strike.
There is no independent confirmation of these accusations so far. The Ukrainian authorities demand evidence, while the Belarusian side continues to insist on its version of the incident.
Based on materials: Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, European Pravda, BELTA.
