Following military exercises in early May, Belarus announced the deployment of special operations forces along the border with Ukraine, as well as air defense, artillery, and missile units at training ranges in the west of the country. The presence of Belarusian troops near the border may deter the AFU, so they will not be able to deploy to support operations in Donbas.

The U.K. Ministry of Defense reported this on Twitter.

"Despite early speculation, Belarusian troops have not been directly involved in the conflict so far. However, the Belarusian territory was used as a bridgehead for Russia's initial offensive against Kiev and Chernihiv," the ministry reported.

The ministry reminded that Russia carried out air sorties and missile strikes from the territory of Belarus.

"Belarusian President Lukashenko is probably balancing his support for the Russian invasion with his desire to avoid direct military involvement with the risk of Western sanctions, Ukrainian retaliation and possible discontent in the Belarusian armed forces," the report said.