Belarus claims that Ukraine is planning an attack. Ukraine calls it provocation.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims that, on the evening of October 8, Ukrainian ambassador Ihor Kyzym was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, in Minsk, where he was handed a diplomatic note. 

“In the note, the Belarusian side claims that Ukraine is planning an attack on Belarusian territory,” the foreign affairs ministry of Ukraine reports. 

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that Belarus’ information doesn’t align with reality. “We have not ruled out that the note could be part of a Russian plan to cause provocation and make accusations against Ukraine,” the Ukrainian ministry said. 

At time of publication the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus had not commented.

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At the beginning of October, Alexander Lukashenko announced that Belarus would take part in Russia’s “special military operation” against Ukraine, but would not send its own soldiers into the war zone and would “not kill anyone.” Since the beginning of the war there have been flight restrictions over southern Belarus. The Telegram channel Belarusky Gayun claims that, since the beginning of the war, more than 700 missiles have been launched on Ukrainian cities from southern Belarus.

On the morning of October 8, a truck exploded on the Crimean Bridge, which connects Russia’s Krasnodar region with annexed Crimea. Because of the explosion, three sections of one side of the car bridge collapsed. The railway part of the bridge was also damaged. Three people were killed. Ukrainian and American media have cited sources who report that Ukrainian special services are responsible for the explosion. Ukrainian authorities have not officially confirmed this.