Ukraine boosts defence at border with Belarus: Military commander

Kiev, Jan 13 (IANS) Ukraine is tightening up the defence of its border with Belarus, said Serhiy Nayev, commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces.

"We professionally perform the tasks assigned to us, and gradually increase our defence capabilities," Xinhua news agency quoted Nayev as saying by the Joint Forces' press service.

At the same time, he stressed that the current situation at the border with Belarus does not pose a direct threat of a ground offensive against Ukraine.

Ukraine is in contact with its foreign partners, such as the US and Poland, over the situation at the Ukraine-Belarus border, Nayev said.

Last year, Ukraine started constructing a wall along its border with Belarus, which includes a ditch, a reinforced concrete fence and barbed wire, among other barriers.

Belarus shares a border with Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest.

The commander's announcement comes ahead of planned Russia-Belarus joint aircraft unit training which will begin on January 16 and last until February 1.

While Belarus has not been involved with the ongoing war directly, it did allow Russian troops to use its territory to launch the invasion on February 24, 2022.