{"id":20754,"date":"2026-07-25T04:18:26","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T04:18:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/20754\/"},"modified":"2026-07-25T04:18:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T04:18:26","slug":"ukraine-is-still-fortifying-its-border-with-belarus-years-after-russia-invaded-from-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/20754\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine is still fortifying its border with Belarus years after Russia invaded from there"},"content":{"rendered":"

ALONG THE UKRAINE-BELARUS BORDER (AP) \u2014 More than four years after Russia launched its assault<\/a> on Kyiv from Belarus<\/a>, Ukraine is still fortifying the border it shares with Moscow’s ally. What was once a busy crossing between the two countries is now a quiet, mine-laden stretch of land closed off to civilians.<\/p>\n

Roads near the 1,084-kilometer-long (673-mile-long) border are covered for long distances by anti-drone netting. The surrounding landscape is dominated by rows of razor wire and concrete anti-tank barriers known as “dragon’s teeth.”<\/p>\n

The Associated Press visited parts of the border in northern Ukraine earlier this month, following a rise in tensions<\/a> between the two countries; Ukraine demanded that Belarus shut down communications relay stations Russia had installed to boost the range of its drones attacking Ukrainian cities.<\/p>\n

Belarus obliged, according to Ukraine, and rhetoric between the two governments<\/a> has eased since then. While Ukrainian officials say they see no signs of a Russian troop buildup in Belarus, they are determined to strengthen their border against any possible threat.<\/p>\n

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has repeatedly said he has no plans for his troops to enter the war<\/a> unless his country is attacked. Still, people living near the border say the possibility of Belarus becoming more involved in Russia’s war remains a source of anxiety.<\/p>\n

For many residents, the extensive defenses are both a reminder of the early days of the war and a source of reassurance that Ukraine is preparing for any future scenarios.<\/p>\n

Ukrainian border guards patrol the area around the clock using armored vehicles, drones and other surveillance systems. Ukrainian officials say the addition of more defenses will remain a priority well into the future because Belarus is Russia’s closest military ally.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Associated Press journalist Volodymyr Yurchuk in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed.<\/p>\n

Hanna Arhirova, Dmytro Zhyhinas And Efrem Lukatsky, The Associated Press<\/p>\n

\"Ukrainian<\/p>\n

Ukrainian border guards patrol Ukraine-Belarus border in an undisclosed location in Ukraine Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo\/Efrem Lukatsky) – The Associated Press<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A local resident rides a bike under an anti-drone net close to the Ukraine-Belarus border in an undisclosed location in Ukraine Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo\/Efrem Lukatsky) – The Associated Press<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A Ukrainian border guard is on duty at the Ukraine-Belarus border in an undisclosed location in Ukraine Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo\/Efrem Lukatsky) – The Associated Press<\/p>\n

\"Ukrainian<\/p>\n

Ukrainian border guards patrol Ukraine-Belarus border in an undisclosed location in Ukraine Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo\/Efrem Lukatsky) – The Associated Press<\/p>\n

\"Ukrainian<\/p>\n

Ukrainian workers install barbed wire close to the Ukraine-Belarus border in an undisclosed location in Ukraine Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo\/Efrem Lukatsky) – The Associated Press<\/p>\n

\"Ukrainian<\/p>\n

Ukrainian workers install barbed wire close to the Ukraine-Belarus border in an undisclosed location in Ukraine Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo\/Efrem Lukatsky) – The Associated Press<\/p>\n

\"Ukrainian<\/p>\n

Ukrainian workers build a strongpoint close to the Ukraine-Belarus border in an undisclosed location in Ukraine Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo\/Efrem Lukatsky) – The Associated Press<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ALONG THE UKRAINE-BELARUS BORDER (AP) \u2014 More than four years after Russia launched its assault on Kyiv from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20755,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[47,3468,26,7827,238],"class_list":["post-20754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-belarus","tag-northern-ukraine","tag-ukraine","tag-ukrainian-border-guards","tag-ukrainian-cities"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20754"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20754\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ukraine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}