Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine warned on Sunday that should Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin try to lead his Wagner forces in an attack on Ukraine from Belarus, it would be “nothing but suicide.”
Commander Serhii Naiev said that Ukraine’s northern border – shared with Belarus – remained “stable and under control,” according to the Ukrainian military’s Telegram account.
He added: “Our troops continue to build up defense equipment. All services, from intelligence to engineering troops, are operating in enhanced mode. Currently, there is no increase in equipment or manpower of the enemy. The state border is under reliable protection 24/7.”
He stressed that should a cross-border attack be launched from the Belarusian side; the Ukrainian forces were armed and ready to counter any such attack.
“If this happens and the enemy tries to cross the state border, it will be nothing but suicide for them. Our soldiers are ready to give a decent response to anyone who dares to cross the state border with weapons in hand.
Former British Army chief of general staff General Richard Dannatt had earlier said in an interview with Sky News that Prigozhin’s presence in Belarus was a “matter of some concern,” as it was quite possible that Russia may use Wagner forces to try and take the Ukrainian capital again.
Russian forces stationed for Moscow’s defense pulled back on Sunday when the Wagner mercenaries, led by Prigozhin, ceased their approach towards the capital. Prior to this, the mercenaries had seemingly seized the Russian military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a center that oversees Ukraine operations, and advanced towards Moscow with little resistance, successfully downing several helicopters and a military plane.
A surprising development occurred when a deal was brokered for Prigozhin’s move to Belarus, leading to the dropping of charges against him for instigating an armed uprising, as stated by Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman. As a result of this agreement, Prigozhin ordered his troops to return to their bases.
“If this happens and the enemy tries to cross the state border, it will be nothing but suicide for them. Our soldiers are ready to give a decent response to anyone who dares to cross the state border with weapons in hand.”
Maybe this is Putler’s plan to weaken Prickozhin so much, he is removed as a threat. If the VDV couldn’t take Kyiv against unprepared soldiers, and part time self defence units, then Wagner will be decimated. I doubt a fly could penetrate those defences on the Belarus border, and if they do try it, then Ukraine have every right to take Belarus from the loony.
This should be going the other way around, and Ukraine should finally do the right and smart thing and attack Belarus. I know about all the arguments against this idea, but I still think it’s a much easier target than the regular, heavily defended front. After the coup in mafia land, such a move would be pure poison for putler and his regime.
Having said that, I agree that any attack from Belarus would be utterly deadly for the enemy, having seen what small, part-time forces did last year against a much larger and better equipped enemy force. Much has changed since then, for the better.