Aliaksandr Lukashenka has acknowledged that Belarus has not yet learned to fully respond to drone incursions or to effectively destroy them. He made the statement while approving decisions on the protection of the state border for 2026.
According to Lukashenka, the situation around Belarus remains serious. He believes the country is surrounded, with the exception of a “window to the East.”
“We have always been in a very serious situation. Unfortunately, today there is no tendency for things to become calmer. Looking at the map, we see that we are practically surrounded by military units on all sides. The only window is to the east, with the Russian Federation, where things are a bit easier for us,” he said.
At the same time, Lukashenka noted that even this “window” does not guarantee security.
“But I would not say that everything is simple there either, especially in light of the recent events in Ukraine, when drones can fly into your territory from who knows where and from who knows in what direction. To be frank, we also have not yet learned to respond to all these incursions one hundred percent, and we have not learned to destroy them one hundred percent either. I do not know whether such one hundred percent is even possible. But this is what we must strive for. We will talk about this as well,” he continued.
Lukashenka also said that the annual approval of decisions on border protection has become a tradition.
“Now this is more relevant than ever. Probably more relevant than other military threats. As I have already said, our border guards are constantly on combat duty. They have no other state of readiness. They are always in full combat readiness. They are prepared to work as in wartime. Because, as we used to say, at the last meters of our Motherland they are entrusted with the honor and the right to serve,” he said, and asked for a report on the situation at the border and on plans for action this year.
It should be recalled that periodic incursions of Russian drones into Belarusian airspace have been recorded throughout Russia’s aggression against Ukraine since 2022. There have been repeated reports of drones crashing on Belarusian territory or being shot down by Belarusian forces. Recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that, according to Ukrainian intelligence, equipment used for Russian drone strikes has been installed in Belarus. This equipment is used to guide Russian drones.
“In fact, antennas and other equipment are installed on the roofs of ordinary five-storey residential buildings, helping to guide Shahed drones at targets in our western regions,” Zelenskyi said at the end of December.
