Ukraine gives Belarus one week to shut down Russia-linked drone relay stations
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly demanded that Belarus shut down four relay stations installed by Russia and used to support drone attacks on Ukraine. He said the sites should be removed within about a week, warning that Kyiv could strike them itself if Belarus does not comply. The remarks mark a sharp escalation in pressure on Belarus, which borders Ukraine along a frontier stretching more than 1,000 kilometres.
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According to the reported details, the stations were originally cellular communication towers that now help Russian drone operators relay signals and exchange information between unmanned aircraft. Zelenskyy said on 19 June that Belarusian President Aleksander Lukashenko had allowed Russia to run equipment that helps direct fire on Ukrainian civilians. He then set out the ultimatum, saying one week would be enough for the relayers to be removed.
The issue matters because the relay stations are described as improving the strength and precision of Russian drone attacks, including strikes reaching deep into western Ukraine. That region has fewer drone interceptors and relies in part on NATO-supplied air defence systems, making the infrastructure on Belarusian territory strategically significant. Ukraine's drone forces have also signalled a more confrontational stance, with their commander posting a warning that the first 500 targets in Belarus had been marked.
The confrontation adds a new cross-border dimension to the wider war between Ukraine and Russia. Belarus has been one of Moscow's closest allies and has allowed Russian forces to use its territory in the conflict, while Lukashenko has ruled the country since 1994. The latest warning suggests Kyiv is increasingly willing to challenge infrastructure beyond the immediate battlefield if it believes that infrastructure is being used to support attacks on Ukrainian civilians.
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The geography of the border helps explain why the issue is sensitive. Ukraine and Belarus share a long frontier that runs through swamps and dense forests, making surveillance and defence difficult. The reported relay stations are said to help Russian drones maintain communication and coordinate more effectively, which could make them a valuable part of Moscow's strike network.
That gives the dispute both military and political weight, especially as Ukraine seeks to reduce the effectiveness of drone attacks on its western regions. There is also a broader historical context to the relationship between the two neighbours. Belarus has often been described as Russia's closest regional ally, and its leadership has repeatedly faced pressure over how much support it gives to Moscow.
In this case, the reported infrastructure is not a new weapons system but repurposed communications equipment, which underlines how civilian technology can be adapted for military use in the war. That makes the dispute harder to separate from wider questions about Belarus's role in the conflict. Lukashenko has also been reported as hinting at possible retaliation, including a reference to the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant area near the Belarusian border.
The site lies within a cordoned-off exclusion zone and is less than 100 kilometres north of Kyiv, which adds to the sensitivity of any cross-border threat. No independent confirmation was provided in the supplied material that either side has acted on the threats, and it remains unclear whether Belarus will remove the stations or whether Ukraine will attempt a strike. What happens next will depend on whether the one-week deadline is treated as a real operational warning or a political signal.
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The key questions are whether Belarus moves to dismantle the relay stations, whether Russia replaces them, and whether Ukraine follows through on its threat. For now, the episode shows how the war is extending into infrastructure, communications and deterrence across the Belarusian border.
#Ukraine #Belarus #VolodymyrZelenskyy #AleksanderLukashenko #dronewarfare
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