Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko is being “activated” instead of a tactical nuclear weapon, Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas said on October 9, 2022, after Belarus accused Ukraine of preparing an attack on its territory.
“Pull forces from the front”
“Instead of a tactical nuclear weapon, Lukashenka is being activated. Yesterday Belarus officially accused Ukraine of preparing an attack against it,” Anušauskas wrote on Twitter. “The goal is to withdraw as many Ukrainian forces as possible from the front to the border with Belarus.”
A diplomatic note
On the evening of October 8, Belarus’s Foreign Ministry summoned Ukraine’s ambassador in Minsk, Ihor Kyzym, and handed him a note claiming Ukraine was planning a strike on Belarusian territory. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the accusations as further insinuations by the Belarusian regime.
Context
Belarus allowed Russian forces to use its territory to launch the offensive on Kyiv in February, and Russian missiles and aircraft have since operated from Belarus. Minsk has not sent its own troops into the war. Ukraine has kept forces along its northern border as a precaution against a renewed offensive from Belarus, while Western officials have said they see no sign that Belarusian troops are preparing to join the war.
Sources
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