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Unrestrained use of Belarusian airspace by the Russian Armed Forces poses a threat to neighbouring NATO countries

Unrestrained use of Belarusian airspace by the Russian Armed Forces poses a threat to neighbouring NATO countries

Currently, there are no Russian ground manoeuvre units in Belarus, but Russia continues to use Belarusian airspace freely. Since July 2024, the Russian suicide drones Geran-2 (Shahed-136) have been flying through Belarusian airspace to Ukraine. Some of the drones cross Belarusian airspace and fly to Ukraine, while others enter Ukrainian airspace from Russia, fly to Belarus and return to Ukraine. However, some drones deviate from their route and pose a threat to NATO countries bordering Belarus. In September 2024, a Russian Geran-2 (Shahed-136) crashed on the Latvian territory after crossing Belarus.

The Belarusian Air and Air Defence Forces rarely respond to the flights of the suicide UAVs that enter Belarusian airspace. There are established cases of Russian Geran-2 (Shahed-136) shootdowns by the Belarusian Armed Forces, but Belarus either does not reveal the identity of the downed drones or does not publish the incident reports. The Lukashenka regime avoids commenting further on Russian drone flights over the Belarusian territory, as the threat posed by drones to Belarus contradicts its public communication on the security of the country.

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