Risk of military incidents on Belarus-Ukraine border quite high: Lukashenko

President also said there could be an ‘apocalypse’ if Russia used nuclear weapons in retaliation for Western actions.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said that the risk of military incidents along his country’s border with Ukraine was quite high, according to Russia’s state-run RIA news agency.

Belarus had moved several combat-ready battalions from Vitebsk region, situated on its border with Russia, to the western limits of the country, he said on Thursday, as delegates of the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly (VNS) unanimously approved a new military doctrine emphasising that Belarus is a peace-loving country.

Lukashenko added that neighbouring Poland – to the country’s west – should not expect aggressive actions from Belarus, the report said.

The updated document listed the countries from which threats emanate, the range of internal and external threats to military security, and the position on the use of tactical nuclear weapons, the report said without elaborating on the countries named.

Lukashenko, a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has frequently talked up the dangers of an attack by NATO or Ukraine as justification for maintaining his military and security apparatus on a constant state of high alert.