- We're standin' here at the Belarusian Ukrainian border.
Here, as you can see,
the Belarusians have set up barbed wire.
On the other side, just a few meters away, is Ukraine,
and they have set up barricades.
The Belarus Ukraine border
has been a strategic location for Russia
since it invaded Ukraine a year ago
when Russian troops mounted attacks from here.
Now, as Kyiv warned of a renewed Russian offensive,
tensions along this 620 mile long frontier
are ratchetin' up,
renewing fears in Kyiv and the West
of a possible joint attack on Ukraine.
The Belarusian State Border Committee
invited us on a rare visit to see what's happening here.
(speaks foreign language)
In recent weeks along this border,
Belarusian forces have been holding joint combat drills
with Russian troops, and on the other side,
Ukraine's military has been reinforcing defenses.
The Border Patrol says that
there has been a lot of tension at this particular border,
which is closed at the moment.
They say that sometimes drones fly over.
(drones buzz)
Ukrainian forces have admitted to such activity
to monitor for potential new attacks.
(speaks foreign language)
Guards on the Belarusian side
are keepin' a close eye on the border.
Others are training to intercept any unauthorized crossings.
(speaks foreign language)
Belarusian officials say
they think Ukraine may launch an attack.
Ukraine has dismissed this assertion.
(speaks foreign language)
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko,
an authoritarian ruler and a close ally
of Russian President Vladimir Putin
said in recent days that he would again let Russian troops
use Belarus to launch attacks on Ukraine,
but he said he has no intention
of sending his own troops there,
though he warned of one important exception.
(speaks foreign language)
Military action would likely come
with challenges for Lukashenko.
Belarus has a small army.
They are not tested, and moreover,
polls show that Belarusians do not have an appetite for war.
But some Belarusians are supporting Russia in other ways.
Here at the Belarusian Women's Union,
people have been gathering boxes of donations,
of supplies, food, medicine, for people in Donbas,
who they say are sufferin' and need the help.
Vladimir Kazbanov is the Business Manager
of the Alexey Talai Foundation,
where volunteers work to send supplies to pro-Russian parts
of Ukrainian's Eastern Donbas region.
(speaks foreign language)
Kazbanov and his colleagues say
they try to stay out of politics
and that the suffering of the war transcends borders.
(speaks foreign language)
Lukashenko said that his country
is willing to offer more assistance to "our Russian brother"
in the war against its cross border neighbor,
but has dismissed claims by Kyiv that Putin can pressure him
to take a more direct role in the conflict.
(speaks foreign language)
(light music)