Intelligence: Massive missile strike on northern Ukraine is a provocation by Russia to draw Belarus into war

The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine believes that the massive missile and bomb strikes on the northern regions of Ukraine that happened this morning were a provocation by Russia to draw Belarus into the war.

Intelligence indicates that this was the first case of an air strike on Ukraine directly from the territory of Belarus.

The attack involved six Tu-22M3 aircraft, which fired 12 X-22 cruise missiles near the town of Petrikov, near Mozyr city in Belarus. The bombers took off from Shaykovka Airport in Kaluga Oblast of Russia and entered the airspace of Belarus. After the missiles were launched, the planes returned to the airport. Strikes were inflicted on Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy Oblasts.

Explosions were heard in these oblasts, but the destruction was reported only in Chernihiv Oblast — the village of Desna was damaged.

• On the night of June 25, Russian troops fired more than 50 missiles at Ukraine. They were launched from ships and planes that flew into Belarus. The leaders of Chernihiv, Zhytomyr and Lviv Oblast Administrations reported about the destruction. 20 missiles were fired on the Desna, 24 missiles on the outskirts of Zhytomyr, and six missiles in the Yavoriv area. Air defense forces shot down 12 of these missiles. It is currently known that one person was killed and five were injured.
• Earlier, intelligence reported that the Kremlin was planning to blow up apartment buildings in Mozyr to draw Belarus into the war against Ukraine. Diversionary groups have arrived in Belarus, and the Russian game plans to conduct a series of artillery and missile strikes on the Mozyr refinery, civilian infrastructure and housing estates. This should give Lukashenko a formal pretext for entering the war.