Putin arrives in Belarus for assembly with Lukashenko as warfare rages

Russian President Vladimir Putin touched down in Belarus for a sit-down along with his counterpart Alexander Lukashenko on Monday.

Lukashenko, who has been in energy for practically three many years, represents Putin's closest ally remaining, as he let Russian forces amass on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border forward of their invasion final February, which supplied them with a shorter distance for the troops to achieve the capital of Kyiv.

The 2 have met in particular person a number of instances since Russian forces invaded Ukraine final February, although that is the primary time since earlier than the coronavirus pandemic started that Putin has traveled to Belarus for the assembly.

RUSSIA LAUNCHES A NEW MASSIVE WAVE OF STRIKES AGAINST UKRAINE

Lukashenko has not dedicated troops to Russia's warfare in Ukraine, however Ukrainian officers have warned a couple of potential new offensive emanating from its northern neighbor, Belarus.

“Throughout [these talks], questions might be labored out for additional aggression in opposition to Ukraine and the broader involvement of the Belarusian armed forces within the operation in opposition to Ukraine, particularly in our opinion, additionally on the bottom,” Ukrainian joint forces Cmdr. Serhiy Nayev stated earlier than Putin’s arrival.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov advised Russian information businesses that Belarus was Russia’s “primary ally” however that ideas they need to strain Minsk into becoming a member of the warfare had been “silly and unfounded fabrications."

Protection Ministers Sergei Shoigu of Russia and Viktor Khrenin of Belarus additionally met throughout Monday's conferences, which got here as Russian forces launched their newest aerial assault in opposition to Ukraine's vitality infrastructure.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated on Telegram that “a number of explosions” had been heard in Solomyanskyi and Shevchenkivskyi, whereas a few of the metropolis’s “important infrastructure amenities had been broken,” leaving about 3% of shoppers with out warmth, although the water provide system remained working as anticipated.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces stated that Russia launched 35 Iranian-made Shahed “kamikaze” drones from the “japanese coast of the Sea of Azov,” although they had been in a position to intercept 30 of them.

Russia launched one in every of its largest missile barrages for the reason that warfare started final Friday as properly. Ukraine’s ministry of protection stated it had destroyed 60 of the 76 air and sea-based cruise missiles fired at targets throughout the nation from Ukraine’s capital metropolis of Kyiv, in addition to within the northeastern metropolis of Kharkiv and the central metropolis of Kryvyi Rih, whereas Odesa, Poltava, Zhytomyr, Kharkiv, and Sumy all reported strikes.

In October, Russia modified its army technique, directing its focus to destroying Ukraine's vitality infrastructure forward of winter.

Since then, Russia has destroyed Ukraine's vitality grid, usually leaving tens of millions of Ukrainian civilians with out energy, warmth, or working water. Winter has already began, and the nation is experiencing subfreezing temperatures. Officers have warned that the system is on the verge of a serious collapse, prompting the US and allies to supply them with tens of millions of dollars of support particularly to assist make these repairs.