Tsikhanouskaya says Belarus army refused to obey order to attack Ukraine

The highest-ranking officers in the Belarusian army understood that their soldiers were demoralized and did not want to join Russian forces, so the regime's order “was not sent forward,” the Belarusian opposition leader said on the air of Feygin Live channel on June 3.

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“Belarusian soldiers do not understand why they have to fight against Ukrainians, our neighbors, who only have positive feelings towards us, for the sake of two dictators’ ambitions,” Tsikhanouskaya said.

“When there was the threat (of an invasion by the Belarusian military) at the beginning of the (full-scale invasion), Belarusian mothers immediately joined in all sorts of initiatives, and explained to our soldiers: ‘If suddenly you are forced to (fight)… immediately go over to the side of Ukrainians, don’t fight… Lukashenko is already a collaborator, he is already on Putin's side. But we, Belarusians, must show that we have made our moral choice: we are on the side of Ukraine.”

Read also: All calm on Kyiv Oblast’s border with Belarus, but threat against capital remains, Kyiv authorities warn

Russian invading infantry and tanks attacked the north of Ukraine from the territory of Belarus, and missiles are still launched at Ukraine from Belarus. Russia also uses Belarusian aerodromes to base its military aircraft, uses Belarusian infrastructure and hospitals, and transports its weapons and equipment through Belarusian territory.

The Ukrainian authorities did not expect an attack from the territory of Belarus, and representatives of the neighboring country assured to the last that nothing like this would happen, Secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov has said.

Read also: Belarusian army receives modern weapons, equipment from Russia — General Staff