Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko continued to set conditions to resist Russian pressure to join the war against Ukraine, saying NATO was preparing to attack Belarus.

All about the topic:

Russian invasion of Ukraine 8415

This is stated in the daily analysis of the situation in Ukraine by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Lukashenko blamed Ukraine and NATO for the increasing number of provocations near the Belarus-Ukraine border and said Ukraine was trying to draw NATO forces into the war.

Lukashenko said Belarusian officials had succeeded in deterring a potential adversary from using military force against Belarus and that NATO was building forces and stepping up combat training in neighboring countries.

The list of weapons that we will send to Ukraine is ready

Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Hrenin stated that there is no direct preparation for war and that Belarus will only defend its territory.

The representative of the Ukrainian General Directorate of Military Intelligence (GUR) Vadim Skibitsky reported that there are no signs of the formation of a strike group on Belarusian territory.

Lukashenko and Khrenin likely made the comments to support what ISW previously assessed as an ongoing information operation aimed at pinning Ukrainian forces on the border with Belarus in response to the threat of Belarus entering the war.

Lukashenko and Khrenin likely also focused the information operation on alleged NATO aggression and provocative activities along the border with Belarus to suggest that the Belarusian military should remain in Belarus to protect itself from potential NATO aggression, and thus to create informational conditions for resisting Russian pressure to enter the war in Ukraine.

ISW continues to assess that the entry of Belarus into Russia's war in Ukraine is extremely unlikely.

Russian forces continue to try to defend themselves against Ukrainian counteroffensive operations along the Svatev-Kremina line.

The Kremlin continued to make incremental gains in the Bakhmut region and conduct offensive operations in the Avdiivka-Donetsk region.

Russian forces continued to conduct defensive measures and move personnel along the eastern bank of the Dnieper River in the Kherson region.

The Russian military move into Zaporozhye Oblast may suggest that Russian forces are unable to defend critical areas amid intensifying Ukrainian strikes.

Russian forces maintain reserves in Crimea to support defensive operations in the Zaporozhye region and on the east bank of the Dnieper River.

Financial tensions in the Kremlin continue to fuel domestic unrest.

Evidence continues to exist of continued partial mobilization amid low morale and high desertion rates among Russian troops.

The financier of "Wagner Group" Yevgeny Prigozhin continues his attempts to strengthen the reputation of "Wagner Group".

Russian occupation officials continue to make efforts to integrate the occupied territories into the Russian financial and legal sphere.

Russian forces continue to exploit Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure in support of Russia's military efforts in Ukraine.

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Russia-Ukraine war