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The head of the MDI Kyrylo Budanov: Currently, no intelligence information indicates an imminent threat from Belarus

Author:
Anhelina Sheremet
Date:

Reuters / «Бабель»

Currently, no intelligence information indicates an imminent threat of a second invasion from the territory of Belarus. However, the long-term risks of this remain.

The head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov told about this in an interview with The New York Times.

So, according to him, the Russian troops are not lined up in assault formations, and there are not enough armored vehicles on the training grounds to stage an attack. Although the training camps for Russian soldiers are filled with newly mobilized people, they go to fight in Donbas after completing the training.

"It would be wrong to discount this possibility but also wrong to say we have any data confirming it exists," Budanov added.

Budanov also said that the Russian military tried to raise the alarm in the Ukrainian army by loading soldiers into trains heading for the Belarusian border with Ukraine. The Soviet Union used a similar tactic during the World War II, sending soldiers on futile train journeys to simulate attacks or retreats. In Belarus, one train loaded with Russian soldiers recently stopped in the south near the border with Ukraine and then returned with all the soldiers on board. Budanov called it a "carousel."