Kyiv, March 1: Belarusian troops have entered Ukraine’s Chernihiv city to support the Russian forces, Parliament of Ukraine said on Tuesday. In a tweet, the Parliament said that Belarusian troops entered Ukraine in the north of the country, and that the information was confirmed by Vitaliy Kyrylov, spokesperson for the North Territorial Defense Forces, UNILAD reported.
This came hours after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko asserted that the country has no plans to join Russia’s activities in Ukraine.
On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had urged Belarus to stay out of the war as it was “not on the same side” and the Russian troops had been launching rockets from “your territory”. He said, “Our children are being killed from your territory, our houses are being destroyed, they are trying to blow up everything that has been built over decades – and, by the way, not only by us, but also by our fathers, our grandfathers. “And all this is also a de facto referendum for you, Belarusians. You decide who you are. You decide who to be. How will you look into the eyes of your children, how will you look into the eyes of each other, your neighbours. We are your neighbours. We are Ukrainians. Be Belarus, not Russia. You are making this choice right today.”
According to UNILAD, prior to the news of Belarusian soldiers arriving in Ukraine, images on social media appeared to show military buildup on the Belarusian side of the border.
