Russian ally Belarus said Thursday it had destroyed several drones overnight after they violated the country’s airspace.
Reports from Belarusian military observers suggest the drones were Iranian-designed Shahed, which Russia has repeatedly fired over Ukraine since launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The drones were reportedly shot down in the Gomel region, near the Belarus-Ukraine border, according to the war-monitoring group Belarusian Hajun Project. Politico could not independently confirm the reports.
The group said at least eight suicide drones of the “Shaheed-type” entered Belarusian airspace, with some returning to Ukraine and others remaining in Belarus or disappearing.
One drone was reportedly shot down by a Russian air defense system based in Belarus, while the other was shot down by a Belarusian fighter jet, according to the group.
Belarus’ Defense Ministry confirmed the downing of several drones, but did not say where they came from or where they were shot down.
“Timely action by Air Defense Forces on duty destroyed all the infiltration targets,” the ministry said in a statement. statement Posted on his Telegram channel.
Belarus’ Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said last month that its air defense forces had destroyed several Ukrainian drones that violated Belarusian airspace.
Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanovskaya said the latest drone episode showed the wide reach of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine.
Belarus has not sent troops to Ukraine but allows Russia to use its territory for its war purposes.
“The war is felt more and more because these invasions happen more often,” Sikhanoskaya wrote At X. “Even the regime’s propaganda can no longer hide it. War is creeping into Belarus and we must stop it.
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