Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said his military had shot down missiles fired at his country from Ukraine and vowed to respond “immediately” to any hostile attacks. “They are provoking us,” Lukashenko told the state-run Belta news agency on Saturday. “I must tell you that about three days ago, maybe more, they tried to hit military targets in Belarus from Ukraine. “Thank God, our Pantsir anti-aircraft systems intercepted all missiles fired by Ukrainian forces.” The claim, for which Lukashenko did not provide evidence, came a week after Ukraine said the missiles had hit a border area from Belarus, a long-time ally of Russia. But the Belarusian president has denied any involvement in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, reiterating that there were no troops from his country fighting in what Moscow calls a “special military operation”. “As I said more than a year ago, we do not intend to fight in Ukraine,” he said. “We will fight only once. If … you enter our land, if you kill our people, then we will respond,” he added, threatening retaliation against “the decision-making centers” of Western capitals in the event of an attack on Belarus. “Don’t touch us and we won’t touch you,” he warned. Belarus has been supporting Russia’s military operation in Ukraine since it began on February 24, acting as a rear base for Moscow’s forces. Russian troops crossed Belarus’ border into Ukraine as they tried and failed to capture the capital, Kyiv. Lukashenko is heavily dependent on Russia militarily and economically, and relied on his neighbor’s support to stabilize his position when widespread protests erupted in 2020 following an election the Belarusian opposition says was stolen. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced last week that Moscow would deliver nuclear-capable Iskander-M missiles to Belarus “in the coming months.”
