Russia Has 'No Chance For Success' In Attacking Ukraine From Belarus Border, Soldier Says

A Ukrainian soldier said he believes Russia will not succeed even if it launches an attack against Ukraine from Belarus.

Speaking to The Kyiv Post, an infantry soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine — who uses the call-sign Chik — said Russian forces would likely get trapped by the Dnipro River if they launch an attack amid the winter season.

"There is the Dnipro river on one side and the Desna river on the other. Russians have already been trapped here once. In spring, they built a pontoon across the Desna river to bypass Chernihiv, but they failed. They would be defeated were they to come here again," the soldier told the publication.

"However, the real fence is the Dnipro river - it stops the troops better than the wall and barbed wire. Especially in current weather conditions, it would be challenging to pass. The Russian attack failed when we were unprepared and now they have no chance for success," he added.

In addition to the challenges posed by the Dnipro River, the soldier added that Russian forces would need about 150,000 soldiers to launch a frontal attack against Ukrainian troops. In late December, the head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Serhiy Deyneko, said Russia had deployed 10,200 servicemen to Belarus.

"They technically can't prepare for an offensive before February or March. The only thing Russia can do is divert part of the Ukrainian forces here," the soldier said.

According to a Telegram post by the Belarus Gayun monitoring group, which was translated by Ukrinform, Russia and Belarus have extended the joint training of their armed forces at least until Jan. 8.

The monitoring group noted that the joint exercises paused on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. The joint exercises will be held at the Gozhsky, Brest, and Niman training grounds until Jan. 6, at the Borysovsky, Obuz-Lеsnovsky until Jan. 7 and at the Osipovichi, Domanova, and Lepelsky sites until Jan. 8.

The monitoring group also noted that military exercises between both forces have been ongoing since April 29.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Belarus has shown support for its eastern neighbor. While Belarusian forces did not join the war against Ukraine, the country served as Russia's launching pad.