Zelenskiy says Russia using Belarus territory for defense

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Russia was using ordinary apartment blocks on the territory of its ally Belarus to attack Ukrainian targets and circumvent Kyiv's defences.



The Kremlin used Belarusian territory to launch its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and Belarus remains ⁠a steadfast ally, though longstanding President Alexander Lukashenko has vowed to commit no troops to the conflict.



Ukrainian intelligence had observed that Belarus was deploying equipment to carry out its attacks "in Belarusian settlements near the border, including on residential buildings.



The Russian and Belarusian defence ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment.



Zelenskiy said the staff meeting also discussed ways of financing interceptor drones, which officials in Kyiv see as the best economically viable ⁠means of tackling Russian drone attacks, which have grown in intensity in recent months.