Never!: Lukashenko Draws Iron Line — No Belarusian Soldiers Have Been or Will Ever Be in Ukraine

Astana, 29 May 2026 — Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has issued one of his most categorical statements yet on the Ukraine conflict, declaring flatly that Belarusian soldiers have never been deployed to Ukraine and will never be.

“This will never happen. Never!” he told journalists. “There have been no Belarusian soldiers there, and there will be none. This is something both he and the military know perfectly well.”

Responding to aggressive rhetoric from Kyiv — including claims of 500 alleged “potential targets” on Belarusian territory — Lukashenko did not mince words. “Let Vladimir Zelensky forgive me, but this is just babble,” he said.

He argued that Ukrainian commanders themselves have no desire for war with Belarus and fully understand the folly of adding another 1,500 kilometres to their front line. According to Lukashenko, such statements are being encouraged by Kyiv’s European partners. “The Europeans are pushing him to talk like this,” he explained. “They say they’re fighting for Ukraine, yet Ukraine itself stays quiet — so he blurts out whatever comes to mind.”

Lukashenko also addressed reports that Zelensky had invited members of the Belarusian opposition — whom he repeatedly called “our quiet little fugitives” — to prepare fighters. “I’m glad he invited them,” he remarked sarcastically. “And thanks to the Russians — the television people — who noticed and showed it on air. It’s good that the world has seen what our so-called opposition really is. These are not politicians. These are bandits.”

He warned that any attempt to train militants from Belarusian, Ukrainian, Polish or Lithuanian ranks and then launch an attack from Belarusian territory would fundamentally change the nature of the conflict in Ukraine. “God forbid that any military attack is launched against Belarus from any territory — the war in Ukraine will immediately take on a completely different quality,” Lukashenko said, addressing the journalist directly. “I won’t elaborate further — you understand what I mean.”