Belarus' Lukashenko inspects forces near Lithuanian border

FILE PHOTO: Russian President Putin and Belarusian President Lukashenko chair Union State's Council meeting in St Petersburg

FILE PHOTO: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attends a meeting of the Supreme State Council of Russia-Belarus Union State in Saint Petersburg, Russia, January 29, 2024. Sputnik/Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Source: X02440

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko inspected a tank battalion near the Lithuanian border and gave orders that any "provocation" there must be met with force, a Telegram channel close to his administration said on Tuesday.

"I will say publicly: any provocation must be stopped by military means," Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was quoted as saying.

"Any violation of the state border is a shoot-to-kill."

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Lithuania, a European Union and NATO member that has offered support to Belarus' opposition, has seen its relations with Minsk deteriorate sharply in recent years.

This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.

By Reuters