The fact that Belarus is congratulating Ukraine on Independence Day does not go down well in Kyiv. Finally, Russian attacks are also carried out from Belarus. Putin confidante Lukashenko “cynically wishes for a ‘peaceful sky’ while allowing deadly missiles to fall on us”.
Russia’s ally Belarus surprisingly congratulated Ukraine on its Independence Day, earning itself a harsh rebuff from Kyiv. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko wrote on his website that he wished Ukrainians “peaceful skies, tolerance, courage, strength and success in restoring a decent life”.
Belarus will continue to work “for the preservation of harmony and the development of friendly contacts based on mutual respect at all levels,” Lukashenko said. With the permission of the government in Minsk, Russia had allowed its own ground troops to invade the common neighboring country and fired rockets at Ukraine from Belarusian airspace.
Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podoliak sharply criticized the Belarusian President’s statements: “Lukashenko seriously believes that the world does not notice his involvement in the crimes in Ukraine,” Podoliak wrote on Twitter. “That’s why he cynically wishes us ‘peaceful skies’ while allowing deadly missiles to fall on us.”
Ahead of Independence Day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of possible “disgusting Russian provocations”. There were no large-scale attacks from the Russian side until the afternoon. However, Zelenskyy said in a video link before the UN Security Council that Russian troops had used rockets to attack a railway station in the Dnepropetrovsk region. There are dead and wounded. “This is what our everyday life looks like,” he continued. The information could not initially be checked by an independent party.