Russian Drones Avoided Belarusian Salient During Flight Toward Western Ukraine

During the attack on western Ukraine on May 13, Russian drones flew along the Belarusian border while avoiding the salient in the Chornobyl area. This was noted on Telegram by Ukrainian Defense Ministry adviser Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov.

“Each time the enemy seeks to change the tactics of using Shaheds. This time the Shaheds are moving along the Belarusian border at a distance of 5–10 km, literally one after another and immediately in large numbers. The enemy is counting on overloading our air defense so that as many targets as possible break through deep into the country toward the west,” he initially wrote.

Some time later, Beskrestnov pointed out that the Shaheds could have shortened their route by flying over Belarusian territory, but did not do so.

“An interesting observation. Hundreds of Shaheds could have flown over Belarus along a small section. Instead, they are bypassing the Belarusian border. For the enemy, this means additional risks of being shot down, additional flight time and additional route-programming difficulties. This indicates that Belarus is in no hurry to provide Russia with its airspace even for several kilometers,” he added.

As previously reported, Russia carried out a massive attack on Ukraine for almost an entire day. More than 1,500 drones were launched during that time. Yesterday during the day, more than 800 drones attempted to break through into the western part of the country. Last night, more than 700 aerial attack weapons, including missiles, were aimed primarily at Kyiv and the surrounding region.