Belarusian air defense forces confirmed the downing of two Shahed-type suicide drones that entered the country’s airspace during a nighttime wave of attacks on Ukraine.
This incident marks the first official acknowledgment by Belarusian authorities of Russian drones violating their airspace, although independent monitoring groups had previously reported similar occurrences.
“Last night, September 5, there was a violation of the state border of the Republic of Belarus in its airspace, presumably by unmanned aerial vehicles,” said Sergey Frolov, First Deputy Commander of the Belarusian Air Force and Air Defense Forces, in an official statement. Frolov added, “A decision was made to destroy them. All the targets were neutralized by the prompt actions of air defense forces.”
Frolov did not specify which country the drones originated from, stating only that an investigation was underway.
At least 8 Shahed-type kamikaze drones flew into Belarus last night – at least two of them were destroyed.
The first group of 2 drones crossed the border with Belarus at around 01:08 and headed for Homiel.
1/8 pic.twitter.com/5FUecH6d7M— Belarusian Hajun project (@Hajun_BY) September 5, 2024
According to the Belarusian Hajun project, Russian-made Shahed-131/136 drones have repeatedly entered Belarusian airspace since early July. Previous incidents were reported in Gomel Oblast, including the downing of a drone on July 16 and an air engagement on August 29. However, these incursions were not officially acknowledged until now.
The most recent event, involving the drones shot down over Gomel, a city with a population of around half a million, drew considerable public attention due to the location and scale of the incident. Video footage of the downed drones spread across social media, forcing the Belarusian government to address the situation publicly.
Добрай раніцы, Гомель. pic.twitter.com/T7npAYvBRP
— Horbač (@pavel_gorbach) September 5, 2024
Local analysts suggest that if the drones had been intercepted in less populated areas, the Belarusian government may have avoided making any official statement. The Lukashenko regime has consistently refrained from acknowledging Russia’s use of Belarusian airspace for drone and missile attacks on Ukraine.