Russian aviation delivers missile strike on Ukraine from Belarus for the first time since August

On the morning of 6 October, the Russian aviation launched a missile strike on Ukraine from the territory of Belarus, Oleksiy Gromov, Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Ukrainian army told Ukrainska Pravda newspaper.

“This morning, 4 Tu-22 M3 strategic aviation planes of the aggressor state launched a strike on Ukrainian territory from the airspace of Belarus. The last time aviation was used from this direction was on 28 August,” he said.

Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat noted that the strike in question targeted the Khmelnytskyi region with Kh-22 missiles. One missile landed near an infrastructure object, while the other hit an empty area. There are no casualties or injuries, he said.

On 4 October, Alyaksandar Lukashenka stated that Belarus is taking part in the “special military operation”, however, it does not send its servicemen to the conflict zone. “As for our participation in the special military operation in Ukraine, we do participate. We don’t hide it. But we don’t kill anyone. We don’t send our military there. We do not violate our obligations,” he said.

In early July, Lukashenka accused Ukraine of planning an attack on Belarus and threatened to launch a “response” attack. The EU introduced sanctions against Belarus back in March for its participation in Russian aggression against Ukraine. Lukashenko was accused of allowing Russian troops on the territory of Belarus and offering the country’s infrastructure objects for the use of the Russian military.

Lukashenka himself stated that the Belarusian military does not take part in Russia’s war against Ukraine. In the first days of the war, he confirmed that missiles had been launched on Ukrainian targets from the territory of Belarus. He called it a “forced move”.