'One More Lukashenka's Hogwash'

• 28.10.2024, 11:37

What do Belarusians think about the Shaheds over the Homel region.

Since July, the Belaruski Hayun monitoring project has reported that attack drones have penetrated Belarus—the score goes to dozens. These are the Shaheds, with which Russia attacks Ukraine, using, among other things, the airspace of Belarus. Mediazona talked to residents of villages bordering Ukraine about how they live with flying and falling drones.

All the interlocutors of Mediazona claim that there is no panic among the locals. Many try not to notice the drones flying over their villages.

"Scary, of course. It's like a motorcycle riding in the sky. We immediately turn off the lights and go to bed so as not to hear it," a 45-year-old resident of one of the border villages Maryia told Mediazona.

The interlocutor says what fear makes you do instinctively. More often, the Shaheds fly into Belarus in the evening or at night, during the Russian attacks on Ukraine.

"It flies like a scooter. One who does not know will not understand," compared the sound of drones Loeu resident Raman.

"Everyone doesn't care about these flying objects. Maybe something flew there, but I didn't hear it. They fly and fly. It doesn't matter," said Anton, the 36-year-old resident of the border village.

Raman says that the Shaheds make almost no noise. And they fly over Belarus at night time, when many are already asleep. “Much louder,” he said, was when Russian troops advanced in 2022. From Loeu to Chernihiv — about 60 kilometers.

"It was loud then. Explosions were heard all the time. Apparently, some missiles did not reach Chernihiv and exploded right across the river. Near the houses on the shore, even the slate was damaged," the man shares his emotional stress.

Vadzim says that not only kamikaze drones, but also other UAVs fly over Belarus.

"When there was a starfall in September, my girlfriend and I went outside to look at it. We were sitting and something silently flew over us. We realized that it was not a star for sure. We quickly took up and went home."

The guy thinks it could be a reconnaissance drone. For example, Ukrainian, which can also be equipped with ammunition. But, in his opinion, it is definitely not Belarusian, since "the Belarusian military does not need to fly over the houses of local residents."

"There is no reason to pay attention to them? Not to be convicted of "extremism" leater. A drone fell over Kalinkavichy. There, the camera at one old woman's house filmed everything. She was later imprisoned for "extremism"," said Vadzim from Loeu, a 35-year-old resident.

"It stroke so hard that everyone heard"

On September 5, Belaruski Hayun reported that local residents heard two loud explosions over Homel. Later, Colonel Siarhei Fralou, First Deputy Commander of the Air Force and Air Defence Forces of Belarus, said that two drones were shot down over Homel. He did not say whether the drones belonged to any troops.

This is the only case when the Belarusian authorities commented on the flights of unidentified drones over Belarus.

One of the interlocutors of Mediazona was just in Homel at the time of the shooting down of the Shaheds.

"It stroke so hard that everyone heard. In Homel, some sort of splashed over a warehouse," Raman recalls.

Another downfall of Shahed occurred in Kalinkavichy. The surveillance camera video which located at the house of a local resident, appeared on Telegram. You can hear drone buzzing and explosion sound.

"They'll shot it down"

Residents of the border areas, with whom Mediazona spoke, say that they are not afraid of the fall of the Shaheds. "It's like this: may or not," Kanstantsin says. Yauhen claims that he is not afraid that the drone will fall in his village.

"There are so many troops in the forests around the town. Tanks and air defence system, and even three Su aircraft are there. They'll shot it down."

Kavalenka says that it is still worth being afraid, since now Ukraine is effectively knocking the Shaheds off their trajectory, and they can fall anywhere.

"It would be quite appropriate for air alarms to be activated in the border areas of Belarus when the Shaheds enter the airspace of Belarus. And it does not matter whether they transit on the territory of Ukraine or not, since at any moment Shahed can return to the territory of Belarus and it is not known what the direction and coordinates of its fall will be. In any case, what gets knocked down even in the air, if the warhead is destroyed, still falls to the ground. And this continues to be a dangerous objects for the local population."

"One more Lukashenka's hogwash"

On August 10, Aliaksandr Lukashenka, during a visit to the Shklou district of the Mahiliou region, said that the air defence of Belarus in the evening of August 9 destroyed several strike drones flying from Ukraine. According to Lukashenka, "about a dozen" air targets were recorded over Belarus at that time.

“I don't understand why Ukraine needs it. We need to figure this out. But we, as I said, were clearly defined with them and brought this information to them that any provocations will not remain unanswered," Lukashenka said.

As evidence, the "wreckage" of unmarked drones was shown on Belaruasian state-owned TV.

“If an object is hit by missiles, then its wreckage is presented. Were are they? Nothing. If it were a mass flood, then, of course, all the downed objects would be presented and a propaganda wave would be made of this for domestic consumption. But they did nothing. Therefore, we draw the appropriate conclusions from this that there was no flight, but just another Lukashenka's hogwash," shares Ukrainian military expert Oleksandr Kovalenko.