Zelenskyy: russia considering offensive from Belarus against Kyiv or NATO country

Russia, the aggressor nation, is considering plans for operations either against the Chernihiv-Kyiv sector in Ukraine or against one of the NATO countries, to be launched specifically from Belarusian territory. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced this following a meeting with security officials on Friday, May 15.

Russia continues its attempts to further drag Belarus into the war against Ukraine, for which it has additionally contacted Aleksandr Lukashenko, Zelenskyy noted. According to him, the aggressor is trying to convince Lukashenko to join new operations.

"In particular, Russia is considering plans for operations south and north of Belarusian territory—either against the Chernihiv-Kyiv direction in Ukraine or against one of the NATO countries—specifically from Belarusian territory. Ukraine has details of the conversation between Russia and Belarus," the President emphasized.

Zelenskyy stated that he has instructed the Ukrainian Defense and Security Forces to strengthen the relevant sector and present Ukraine’s response plan.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on May 12, Belarus’s self-proclaimed president, Aleksandr Lukashenko, announced that the country plans to conduct a targeted mobilization of military units to prepare for possible participation in combat operations.