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Belarus
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Belarus

Lukashenko's Belarus: Russian co-belligerent forming an airborne brigade near Gomel, 40km from Ukraine's border.

Four Russian drone-relay stations in Belarus went silent on 22 June 2026 after a Ukrainian deadline to remove them. Zelenskyy said he could not determine whether they had been dismantled or merely switched off.

Last refreshed: 22 October 2026 · Appears in 3 active topics

Key Question

Will Ukraine strike Belarus if Lukashenko does not dismantle the relay stations?

Timeline for Belarus

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Background

Belarus is a landlocked country in eastern Europe, with its capital at Minsk and the Belarusian rouble as its currency. It borders Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Its relationship with Russia includes the Union State and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation.

The country's location connects Russian territory with Ukraine's northern frontier and the eastern borders of EU and NATO members. Military activity on Belarusian territory therefore has consequences beyond its own armed forces. The dispute over drone-relay stations illustrates that geographic role.

Key Issues
Northern border

The relay stations fall silent

Belarus faced a Ukrainian threat on 20 June 2026 to strike four relay stations in the Homiel and Brest regions unless they were dismantled by 27 June. Kyiv said Russia used the sites to guide drones towards western Ukraine. Their location made Belarusian territory part of the dispute over Russian attacks.

The stations went silent on 22 June. Zelenskyy said he did not know whether Belarus had removed the equipment or switched it off. For Minsk, that left the immediate confrontation short of a reported strike, while the equipment's physical status remained unresolved in the available account.

Common Questions

Its relay stations went dark

What sanctions is Belarus under in 2026?
Belarus faces EU and US sanctions imposed since 2020, covering the fraudulent presidential election, the forced diversion of a Ryanair flight in 2021, and its support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. A May 2026 OFAC action added Iran-arms grounds via Armory Alliance LLC.Source: event
Is Belarus a co-belligerent in the Russia-Ukraine war?
Belarus hosts Russian drone relay stations that have been routing strikes on Ukrainian cities, and allowed Russian troops to use its territory for the 2022 invasion. It has not formally entered the war but materially supports Russian operations.Source: event
What is the Union State and could it drag Belarus into the Ukraine war?
The 1999 Russia-Belarus Union State treaty includes collective security provisions. ISW assessed that Moscow was framing any Ukrainian strike on Belarusian soil as grounds to invoke these, potentially pulling Belarusian troops into direct combat.Source: event
Why did Ukraine threaten to strike Belarus in June 2026?
Four Russian drone relay stations in Belarus's Homiel and Brest regions were routing long-range strikes onto Zhytomyr, Rivne and Volyn oblasts. Zelenskyy gave Lukashenko until roughly 27 June to dismantle them or face Ukrainian strikes.Source: event

Reference

Who is Alexander Lukashenko?
Alexander Lukashenko has been president of Belarus since 1994, making him Europe's longest-serving leader. He accepted deep integration with Russia after the contested 2020 election stripped him of Western legitimacy, aligning Belarus economically and militarily with Moscow.
Is Belarus forming a new military brigade near Ukraine?
Yes. Belarusian Special Operations Forces commander Colonel Alexander Ilyukevich announced on 2 August 2026 that Belarus is completing formation of its 37th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade near Gomel, about 40km from the Ukrainian border, under plans first announced in August 2025. Analysts stress this is Belarusian force generation, not a fresh Russian mobilisation wave.Source: ISW
Is Belarus on Thailand's visa-on-arrival list?
Yes. On 16 July 2026, Thailand placed Belarus in a new 65-country visa-on-arrival tier as part of a restructured three-tier visa-exemption scheme, alongside Azerbaijan and Serbia. The change awaits Royal Gazette publication.Source: nomads-and-communities
Why is Belarus involved in Iran's arms procurement network?
Belarus provides Iran-sanctions evasion networks with access to Soviet-era defence-industrial capacity, logistics infrastructure adjacent to Russia, and a government that does not enforce Western sanctions. Armory Alliance LLC was designated on 8 May 2026 as Belarus's node in Iran's CITC procurement ring.Source: OFAC

Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 22 October 2026. Editorial standards.