Ukraine accuses Russia of preparing ‘false flag’ attack on an oil refinery in Belarus to blame Kiev saboteurs and lure Minsk into war
- SBU said the attack would be carried out by troops disguised as Wagner mercenaries
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) on Friday accused Russia of preparing a ‘false flag’ attack on the Mozyr oil refinery in Belarus to blame Ukrainian saboteurs as part of an effort to draw Minsk into Ukraine’s war .
The attack, it said in a statement on the Telegram app, would be carried out by military and intelligence officials sent to Belarus by Moscow disguised as Wagner mercenaries who were exiled after staging a mutiny in Russia in June.
“Russia intends to accuse Ukraine of what it has done to try again to involve Minsk in the large-scale war against our state,” it said in a statement, without providing any evidence.
It said its claims were based on information obtained from various sources, including a captured Russian soldier.
Belarus is a close ally of the Kremlin, and Moscow’s forces used Belarusian territory as a staging post for their failed advance on the Ukrainian capital of Kiev at the start of their full-scale invasion in February 2022.
An oil refinery on a branch of the Druzhba oil pipeline in Mozyr. Ukraine’s security service said the attack on the refinery would be carried out by military and intelligence officers sent by Moscow to Belarus disguised as Wagner mercenaries.
Pictured: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Belarus is a close ally of the Kremlin, and Moscow’s forces used Belarusian territory as a staging post for their failed advance on the Ukrainian capital of Kiev at the start of their full-scale invasion in February 2022
But Minsk troops did not take part in the war.
Fighters from the Wagner mercenary group launched a mutiny against Russia’s defense establishment in June, and some of its fighters have since moved to Belarus under an agreement.
On Thursday, leaders of NATO members Poland and Lithuania warned of “provocations” and “sabotage actions” from neighboring Belarus by members of the Wagner group, days after two Belarusian helicopters entered Polish airspace.
“Our response to the provocation is to increase the size of the Polish army on the country’s eastern border by redeploying troops from the west,” said Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak.
‘In accordance with the applicable law, soldiers are allowed to use weapons in a certain situation. They are not defenseless.’
In the photo: Yevgeny Prigozhin. Fighters from the Wagner mercenary group launched a mutiny against Russia’s defense establishment in June, and some of its fighters have since moved to Belarus under an agreement
A flame burning natural gas is seen at an oil refinery on a branch of the Druzhba oil pipeline (file photo)
Belarus shares large borders with both Lithuania and Poland, which are co-located with Ukraine.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Thursday there are at least 4,000 members of the Wagner mercenary force in Belarus.
The Wagner group is “extremely dangerous,” Morawiecki said, and “is being transferred to NATO’s eastern flank to destabilize it.”
Poland said on Tuesday it was rushing troops to its eastern border after accusing Belarus of violating its airspace with the military helicopters.
Local media reported on Tuesday that two helicopters carrying Belarusian flags were spotted in the Bialowieza area, just across the border from Belarus.
The Belarusian military denied any such violation, accusing Poland, one of Ukraine’s most ardent financiers in its conflict with Russia, of fabricating the charge to justify a build-up of its troops.
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko had previously taunted Poland over the presence of Russian Wagner mercenaries near their shared border.
Poland’s defense ministry said it was “sending additional troops and resources, including attack helicopters.”
It said it had informed NATO of the border violation and had summoned Belarus’ chargé d’affaires to explain.
It also said the defense minister had ordered an increase in the number of soldiers on the Belarusian border, citing intensified “hybrid actions” by Russia and Belarus against Poland.
The Belarusian defense ministry writes on Telegram that Warsaw has changed its mind about the incident “apparently after consultation with its overseas masters.”