Current:Home > StocksUkraine says if Russia tries to invade from Belarus again, this time, it's ready - with "presents" -SecureWealth Bridge
Ukraine says if Russia tries to invade from Belarus again, this time, it's ready - with "presents"
View
Date:2025-04-14 14:31:12
Northern Ukraine — The Ukrainian military has been conducting drills near the country's northern border with Belarus, aimed at showing preparedness to defend against any repeat of Russia's land invasion across that border. These drills on the northern front follow warnings that the Kremlin is planning a renewed offensive this spring.
CBS News visited the maze of trenches that Ukraine's forces built close to the border after Russian troops crossed over from Belarus as part of their failed push to capture Kyiv last year.
One of the Ukrainian commanders there said his troops were "fully ready," adding with a wry smile that they had "prepared a lot of presents" for any invading forces that might try to cross the border again.
Commander Kent, a callsign, wouldn't give details about those "presents," but he made it clear that, unlike 12 months ago, Ukraine has a "a fortified border" capable of stopping heavy equipment and even light armor from "trespassing."
The trenches look like they could be right out of World War I, but the soldiers bracing for battle inside them have modern technology at their fingertips.
CBS News watched as a soldier used a reconnaissance drone to scour the skies and the border for any signs of trouble.
Several Ukrainian units are now spread across the 650-mile frontier with Belarus, but they have yet to detect any new mass mobilization of Russian forces in the neighboring country. U.S. officials are also watching what they say is a regular flow of Russian troops and hardware in and out of Belarus, but no signs of a new buildup there yet.
The Ukrainian forces are determined not to be taken by surprise.
We asked the soldier flying the drone, who goes by the callsign Kraken, what he was spending six hours every day scanning for.
"Clusters of Russian military equipment," he said. "They need to gather somewhere… If we see any columns of equipment, we forward this information."
In Ukraine's east, however, the fighting is only intensifying. The industrial town of Bakhmut, right on the front line, has been the focus of much of the worst fighting this year. Once home to about 70,000 people, it has been virtually razed to the ground, and now nearly all of it is under Russia's control.
That has made protecting the north an even higher priority for Ukraine.
- In:
- Belarus
- War
- Ukraine
- Russia
- Vladimir Putin
- Alexander Lukashenko
Imtiaz Tyab is a CBS News correspondent based in London.
TwitterveryGood! (689)
Related
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- Tom Bergeron Reflects on “Betrayal” That Led to His Exit From Dancing with the Stars
- García powers Rangers to first World Series since 2011 with 11-4 rout of Astros in Game 7 of ALCS
- Georgetown women's basketball coach Tasha Butts, 41, dies after battle with breast cancer
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- Titans fire sale? Kevin Byard deal could signal more trade-deadline action for Tennessee
- Geri Halliwell Reacts to Kim Kardashian's Desire to Join Spice Girls
- Pilot who police say tried to cut the engines on a jet midflight now faces a federal charge
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Olympian Mary Lou Retton is back home recovering from pneumonia, daughter says
Ranking
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- Off-Duty Pilot Charged With 83 Counts of Attempted Murder After Plane Cockpit Incident
- At least 7 killed, more than 25 injured in 158-vehicle pileup on Louisiana highway
- Crews clear wreckage after ‘superfog’ near New Orleans causes highway crashes that killed at least 7
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Safety agency warns against using Toos electric scooters after 2 die in fire
- A Hong Kong court upholds a ruling in favor of equal inheritance rights for same-sex couples
- Police: 8 children rescued in California after their mother abducted them from Arkansas foster homes
Recommendation
Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
Stock market today: Asian shares mostly rise after US stocks wobble as Treasury bond yields veer
Ukraine’s leader says Russian naval assets are no longer safe in the Black Sea near Crimea
UN official: Hostilities in Syria have reached the worst point in four years
B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
8 officers involved in Jayland Walker’s shooting death are back on active duty, officials say
Migrant bus conditions 'disgusting and inhuman,' says former vet who escorted convoys
Tennessee faces federal lawsuit over decades-old penalties targeting HIV-positive people