The Belarusian Defence Ministry has said on Monday they are carrying out a “comprehensive” checkup of their “combat readiness” of their armed forces.
The ministry has said there will “temporary” restrictions of civilian movement on public roads which comes a few hours after Poland said that some NATO troops are operating inside Ukraine.
The Belarusian Defence Ministry said in a statement, “The Armed Forces have begun checking the combat readiness of military formations and units.”
The statement added, “The personnel will have to move to designated areas and conduct a series of exercises and training, including live fire.”
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“The armed forces are paying great attention to maintaining a high level of combat and mobilization readiness in the current aggravated military-political situation,” the ministry said in a Telegram post, citing Viktor Gulevich, chief of the general staff of the Belarusian Armed Force.
It is believed that Belarus will also undertake checks on the tactical nuclear weapons that Russia moved to the country last year after warning it is inevitable there will be direct conflict with NATO if the alliance sends troops to Ukraine.
Poland has sparked alarm on Monday morning as the Polish Foreign Minister said that “NATO soldiers are already present” who are operating in Ukraine.
This admission by the Polish Foreign Minister could spark an immediate escalation with Moscow as Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) chief Sergei Naryshkin warned last week that if NATO troops are on the ground in Ukraine this will put the world “on the brink of nuclear war.”
Radoslaw Sikorski said during a conference to mark Poland’s 25th anniversary of joining NATO, “NATO soldiers are already present in Ukraine.
“And I would like to warmly thank the ambassadors of those states that have taken that risk.
“Those who are those states know who they are, but you can’t disclose that, yes in contrary to other politicians I won’t list those countries.”
He then made reference to the French President Emanuel Macron who said this month that he will not rule out putting boots on the ground in Ukraine and told Western allies they must “not be cowards.”
Last week Macron reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Ukraine and following a meeting with party leaders, French Communist Party National Secretary Fabien Roussel warned that “France’s position has changed.”
Speaking of the war in Ukraine Roussel said that Macron expressed “there are no more red lines, there are no more limits,” Le Monde reported.
Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service chief Naryshkin warned that comments made by Macron sending NATO boots on the ground in Ukraine has put the world “on the brink of nuclear war.”
The SVR chief told Russian TV channel, “This shows the high degree of irresponsibility of Europe’s leaders today, in this case the president of France.
“This is, of course, sad to see – to observe and to understand that the ability of current elites in Europe and the North Atlantic to negotiate is at a very low level.
“It is more and more rare that they demonstrate any common sense at all. But these statements are extremely dangerous.
They are already taking us to the brink of nuclear war.”
