Phoenix 24
Ukraine says border infrastructure is helping Russian attacks.
KYIV, Ukraine | June 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has given Belarus one week to disable relay equipment near the Ukrainian border that Kyiv says is being used to support Russian drone attacks. Speaking during a press conference in Kyiv, Zelensky warned that Ukrainian forces would neutralize the installations themselves if Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko failed to act. He linked the ultimatum directly to continuing civilian deaths and injuries caused by Russian strikes. The warning represents one of Kyiv’s clearest threats of direct action against military-supporting infrastructure on Belarusian territory.
The installations were described as relay stations positioned on towers near the border rather than conventional surveillance radars. According to Zelensky, the equipment helps transmit or extend signals used to guide Russian unmanned aircraft operating against Ukraine. He called on Lukashenko to remove or deactivate the devices if Belarus genuinely wants to avoid entering the war more deeply. Zelensky said seven days should be sufficient because Ukrainian civilians are being killed and children injured while the system remains operational.
Kyiv’s position reflects growing concern over the technological networks supporting Russia’s long-range drone campaign. Modern unmanned aircraft depend not only on the platform carrying explosives but also on navigation, communications and signal infrastructure. Relay stations can expand operational range, improve connectivity or help maintain guidance in contested environments. Ukraine therefore treats equipment that enables attacks as part of the military threat, even when it is located beyond Russia’s internationally recognized borders.
Belarus has been closely connected to the war since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Moscow used Belarusian territory as a staging area for forces advancing toward northern Ukraine, including the initial offensive directed at Kyiv. Lukashenko has not formally deployed Belarusian troops into direct combat, but his government has continued providing Russia with territory, logistical access and political support. That distinction has allowed Minsk to claim that it is not a combatant while remaining one of Moscow’s most important regional partners.
The relationship between Belarus and Russia has expanded beyond conventional military cooperation. Russian nuclear weapons and military infrastructure have been deployed on Belarusian soil, while the two countries have conducted joint exercises involving nuclear-capable forces. Belarusian industry has also produced components used by Russia’s military sector. For Ukraine, these activities weaken Minsk’s argument that it remains outside the conflict.
Zelensky framed the issue as a test of Lukashenko’s intentions. Belarusian authorities frequently say they do not want their country drawn directly into the war, yet Kyiv argues that allowing equipment used in Russian operations contradicts that position. The Ukrainian president’s message was therefore both military and political. He offered Belarus an opportunity to remove the infrastructure before Ukraine considers acting unilaterally.
A Ukrainian strike inside Belarus would create substantial escalation risks. It could prompt Minsk to accuse Kyiv of attacking Belarusian sovereignty and provide Moscow with a justification for expanding its military involvement from the north. Russia and Belarus are linked through security agreements and increasingly integrated defense structures. Even a limited operation against relay equipment could therefore carry consequences beyond the immediate target.
Ukraine, however, may calculate that leaving the installations untouched creates a greater danger. Russian drone attacks have become a persistent feature of the war, targeting residential areas, energy systems and strategic infrastructure across Ukrainian territory. Kyiv has repeatedly argued that it must be permitted to strike the assets enabling those attacks, regardless of where they are located. The ultimatum applies that doctrine to Belarus more explicitly than before.
The warning comes as civilian casualties continue to rise. Ukrainian authorities reported that guided aerial bombs struck a residential building in Kharkiv, killing at least one person and injuring nine others, including a child. Earlier Russian attacks on several cities reportedly killed at least 11 people and caused a fire at Kyiv’s historic Dormition Cathedral. These incidents formed the immediate context for Zelensky’s assertion that Ukraine could not wait indefinitely for Belarus to respond.
The Ukrainian government has also been preparing for potential threats along its northern frontier. Zelensky previously said Kyiv was ready to take preventive measures against military risks involving both Russia and Belarus. Those statements followed joint nuclear exercises and increased regional anxiety after drone incursions near NATO’s Baltic members. The northern border remains sensitive because it offers Russia another direction from which to pressure Ukraine and force it to disperse defensive resources.
At the same time, Zelensky is seeking greater support from the United States for Ukraine’s air-defense industry. After meeting President Donald Trump during the G7 summit in France, he said Kyiv hopes to obtain licenses allowing Ukrainian companies to manufacture antiballistic air-defense systems and interceptor missiles. The proposal would expand Ukraine’s ability to defend itself without depending entirely on finished systems delivered from abroad. Zelensky argued that this industrial capacity could eventually support allied countries in Europe and the Middle East as well.
The request reflects the scale of the challenge facing Ukrainian air defenses. Russia combines drones, cruise missiles, ballistic weapons and guided bombs to overwhelm available interceptors. Ukraine must therefore protect its cities while also attacking launch sites, command facilities and supporting infrastructure. The threatened action against Belarusian relay stations fits within this broader strategy of disrupting attacks before they reach Ukrainian airspace.
Lukashenko now faces a difficult choice. Removing the equipment could create tension with Moscow and expose the extent of Russia’s use of Belarusian infrastructure. Leaving it active could increase the possibility of a Ukrainian strike and move Belarus closer to direct confrontation. His response will show whether Minsk prioritizes avoiding escalation or preserving the military partnership on which the Belarusian government increasingly depends.
Zelensky’s seven-day ultimatum turns a technical dispute over communications equipment into a wider test of regional deterrence. Ukraine is signaling that infrastructure supporting Russian attacks may be treated as a legitimate target even when operated from an allied neighboring state. Belarus must now decide whether to deactivate the installations or accept the risks attached to their continued use. The deadline places the northern front back at the center of a war already spreading pressure across multiple borders.
Hechos que no se doblan. / Facts that do not bend.