Ukrainian troops who have attempted to advance in the south Donetsk direction have lost over half of personnel, a Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson told Sputnik.
"In the south Donetsk direction, subunits of the Vostok group of forces, with the support of artillery and aviation, inflicted fire damage on the enemy, who was trying to conduct offensive operations. Motorized rifle units thwarted two enemy attacks in the Novodonetsk area. A tank, armored fighting vehicles and more than half of the advancing manpower were destroyed," the spokesperson said.
Two Ukrainian attacks in the direction of Ravnopol were repelled and an attempt by the enemy to conduct reconnaissance by force in the Zaporozhye direction was thwarted, the spokesperson added.
Ukrainian shelling of Valuiki in Russia’s Belgorod Region leaves seven people injured
Seven people, including a child, were wounded in a Ukrainian shelling attack on the Valuiki District in southwest Russia’s Belgorod Region, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported on his Telegram channel on Monday.
"The Valuiki District came under shelling by Ukrainian troops. According to preliminary reports, seven people, including a child, were injured in the attack," Gladkov wrote, adding that they have been hospitalized.
"All necessary medical assistance is being given [to them]," he said.
The shelling attack left five residential blocks and four private homes damaged, with windows being broken and the facades scarred. Emergency services are currently working at the scene.
Kiev deploys significant military forces along border with Belarus — Russia’s MFA
The Ukrainian army has deployed a significant military contingent along the border with Belarus and periodically tries to test the defense capability of the Union State.
Head of the second department of the CIS countries at the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexey Polishchuk said it in an interview with TASS.
"The information that we have and that has been repeatedly voiced in the statements of officials indicates that the Ukrainian army has indeed deployed significant forces along the Belarusian-Ukrainian border, periodically trying to probe the defense capability of the Union State in one way or another," Polishchuk said.
The diplomat recalled that under these conditions, since October 2022, additional units of the joint Regional Group of Forces have been deployed in Belarus.
"Their task is to serve as a deterrent from invading the territory of the Union State and to minimize the risks of infiltration by sabotage and reconnaissance groups. We proceed from the fact that the Russian and Belarusian means available in the area are sufficient to repel aggression from the territory of Ukraine or neighboring NATO countries," Polischuk stressed.
"We hope that the Kiev regime and their Western curators will have the common sense not to undertake military adventures, the consequences of which for them may be very serious," he said.
Deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus not limited in time — MFA
The agreement on the deployment of Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus does not imply a time frame, head of the second department of the CIS countries at the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexey Polishchuk said in an interview with TASS.
"As for the possible time frame for the presence of Russian tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus, the Russian-Belarusian agreements do not imply any restrictions on this matter," he said.
"In the current geopolitical situation, the main conditions for the hypothetical return of tactical nuclear weapons to Russia could be the US and NATO's refusal to undermine the security and sovereignty of Russia and Belarus," he added.
"Of course, such a step of ours should be preceded by the complete withdrawal of all American nuclear weapons to US territory with the elimination of the corresponding infrastructure in Europe," Polishchuk said.
According to the diplomat, the decision to deploy Russian tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus "is largely forced in response to the alliance's aggressive policy."
"This took into account the many years of destructive practice of "joint nuclear missions" of NATO countries. The Westerners’ open support for the Kiev regime and the unwillingness to take into account the legitimate demands of our country in the field of security were the trigger for such a reciprocal step by Moscow and Minsk," the diplomat said.
He emphasized that the actions of Russia "do not contradict its international legal obligations, including those under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, since control over nuclear weapons remains with Russia."
"Unlike American warheads in European countries, our special ammunition will be located in close proximity to Russia, on the territory of the Union State, within which a single defense space has been formed," the diplomat said.
On March 25, President Vladimir Putin said that Russia would place its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus at Minsk’s own request, precisely the way the US has long been doing on the territory of its allies. According to the Russian head of state, the construction of a storage facility for the tactical nuclear warheads in Belarus is scheduled to be completed on July 1.
Moscow has already handed over to Minsk the nuclear-capable Iskander missile system and provided assistance in re-equipping Belarusian aircraft to enable them to carry and launch nuclear munitions. On June 9, Putin said during a meeting with Lukashenko that deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus will begin immediately after the storage facilities that are to house them are completed on July 7-8.
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