Belarus says there is a high chance of armed provocation from Ukraine

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Belarusian Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin said on Friday there was a high probability of an armed provocation from neighbouring Ukraine and that the situation at their shared border "remains tense", the state-run Belta news agency reported.

Khrenin's comments came more than a week after Ukraine sent thousands of troops across Russia's western border in a surprise incursion.

"Given the presence of Ukrainian armed formations in the border areas, there is a high probability of preparing and carrying out armed provocations on our territory, as well as high-profile actions, including with the involvement of Belarusian nationalist formations," Khrenin said, according to Belta.

The Ukrainian military did not immediately reply to a written request for comment.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has positioned himself as a main backer of Vladimir Putin since the Russian president ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, part of which was staged from Belarusian soil.

Lukashenko said on Thursday that Ukraine could attack Belarus and widen the war.

On Saturday Belarus said it was sending troops to reinforce its southern border with Ukraine after accusing Kyiv of violating its airspace with drones. Kyiv said it had seen no signs of a Belarusian buildup and made no official comment on the accusations of airspace violations.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Alison Williams and Andrew Heavens)

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