Ukraine’s border guards doubling as army items on Belarus frontier

Belarus is conducting army workouts with 4,000 troops by the border, says Ukraine’s Ministry of Protection and Russian strategic bombers have fired missiles from Belarusian airspace at targets inside Ukraine, together with the capital Kyiv.

CGTN’s Michael Voss has been given entry to Ukrainian border guards alongside the frontier with Belarus within the Chernihiv area.

On Patrol with Ukraine’s border guards

A Ukrainian border guard patrols the southern financial institution of the Dnipro river. This closely forested area marks the border with Belarus, the place Russia’s ally is claimed to be massing troops.

Again in February, nice columns of Russian tanks pressured their manner throughout the border, heading for the capital Kyiv.

READ MORE

Michael Rosen’s surprising cult standing

What’s Kaliningrad?

Belgium returns Lumumba’s tooth

On their manner, they attacked and shelled the area’s main metropolis Chernihiv however did not seize it. The scars of ruined buildings nonetheless stand as testimony to the failed assault.

Now there may be razor wire by the forests all alongside the border.

After driving on again roads out of Chernihiv for about an hour, I met Main Artem Lazutin, deputy commander of the area’s border guards. His life has radically modified in only a few months.

“We’re now not classical border guards,” he explains. “Earlier than we merely checked individuals, vehicles and vans at a border crossing checkpoint on the street. Then when the battle began, the border guards grew to become army items.”

The key then took me previous the razor wire to the next place near the place the previous border crossing was.

There may be now a big hole the place one of many essential bridges connecting the 2 nations as soon as stood. Lazutin mentioned they blew it as much as stop the Russians from utilizing it.

“On February 24, we have been attacked by enemy drones. Then we took up hearth positions together with the Armed Forces to stop an enemy breakthrough. After that, we determined to explode this bridge in addition to a railway bridge close to right here.” Lazutin mentioned.

Ukraine protection officers consider that Belarus has moved seven battalions nearer to the border. They do not suppose Belarus is about to invade although they cannot rule that out.

What the Ukrainians do suspect is that they’re making an attempt to stop Ukraine from sending reinforcements to the east, the place the heaving preventing is.

At a gathering in St Petersburg over the weekend, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin supplied to offer his shut ally Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko with ballistic missile programs and improve his air power.

In the meantime, Lukashenko has introduced a recruitment drive for a further 20,000 troops.

It prompted Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to ship a video message to Belarus urging its individuals to not get entangled.

“You might be being drawn right into a battle. The Kremlin has already determined every little thing for you –your lives are price nothing to them. However you aren’t slaves or cannon fodder. You wouldn’t have to die.” Zelenskyy mentioned in his video deal with.

Again on the border, 20-year-old Andriy, he requested to not give his surname, continues his each day lookout looking out along with his binoculars for any indicators of army actions within the forests throughout the river.

“On a regular basis is like this, we observe the state of affairs on the border all day, defend it and stop an enemy breakthrough. Everyone seems to be afraid. Solely silly individuals aren’t afraid. I attempt to maintain my concern in my arms,” Andriy mentioned.

Main Lazutin says the border guards, together with the army, are able to repel any new invasion. However he hopes that with continued western help, he can return to his previous day job, as a easy border guard, earlier than too lengthy.