Zelenskyy gives Belarus one-week ultimatum over alleged drone-guidance equipment

Ukraine's president has given Belarus one week to shut down relay equipment on the border that Kyiv says is helping guide Russian drone attacks. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the equipment should be removed immediately and warned that Ukraine would act if Minsk does not comply. He made the remarks during a media briefing in Kyiv on Friday.

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Zelenskyy said there are relay stations on towers along the border and questioned why Belarusian leader Aliaksandr Lukashenka had not taken them down. He said a week would be enough time to deal with the issue and linked the demand to civilian harm in Ukraine. According to his comments, people are being killed and children wounded every day because of the attacks.

The warning adds to already strained security relations between Ukraine and Belarus. Belarus was used by Moscow as a launchpad for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the two countries have continued close military cooperation. The row also comes as Belarus hosts Russian nuclear weapons and military infrastructure, and as the two sides have held joint drills involving Russian weapons deployed on Belarusian territory.

The latest ultimatum comes against a backdrop of renewed Russian strikes on Ukraine and rising civilian casualties. Zelenskyy said his warning was driven by the continuing toll on civilians, while Ukrainian authorities have recently reported deaths and injuries from attacks in several cities. The issue is significant because it concerns infrastructure on Belarusian territory that Ukraine says is being used to support attacks across the border.

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Zelenskyy has previously signalled that Kyiv could take preventive measures in response to perceived threats from the north. In May, he said Ukraine was prepared to act against Moscow and the Belarusian leadership amid a Russia-Belarus nuclear exercise and heightened tensions with European NATO members. That earlier warning showed that Kyiv sees the northern frontier as part of a wider security challenge, not only a bilateral dispute.

It remains unclear how Minsk will respond, whether the equipment can be removed within the deadline, and what form any Ukrainian action might take if it is not. The comments also do not specify the exact location or technical role of the relay stations beyond Ukraine's allegation that they help guide drones. The next development to watch is whether Belarus makes any public response before the week expires, and whether the issue leads to further military or diplomatic escalation.

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