Zelenskyy Claims Belarus Has Disabled Equipment Used to Guide Russian Strikes Following Kyiv's Ultimatum

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed that Russian signal relay equipment stationed in Belarus, which was heavily utilized to coordinate and guide drone strikes against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, has officially ceased operations. The sudden shutdown on June 22 comes just three days after Kyiv issued a stark one-week ultimatum to Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. Zelenskyy had warned that if Minsk did not dismantle the guidance systems, the Ukrainian military would take independent action to destroy them across the border.[1][2]

"According to the available information, which was reported to me by the Commander-in-Chief, as well as intelligence, since June 22, the corresponding repeaters have ceased their operation on the territory of Belarus," Zelenskyy told reporters during a press briefing. The Ukrainian president acknowledged that the exact cause of the shutdown remains unverified, leaving open the question of whether Minsk yielded to the pressure or if other factors are at play. "Whether they dismantled them or not, frankly speaking, I do not know yet, but we are working on this, and I am monitoring this very closely," he said, adding that the critical fact is the equipment is currently offline.[2]

The targeted infrastructure consisted of specialized signal repeaters mounted on civilian communication towers and rooftops in Belarus's Gomel and Brest regions, both of which directly border northern Ukraine. Russian forces deployed these relays to artificially extend the operational range and maintain real-time control of their Shahed-type attack drones. By routing radio signals through Belarusian territory, Russian operators could navigate the loitering munitions deep into Ukraine's Kyiv, Rivne, and Volyn oblasts, reaching targets that would be difficult to strike from Russian soil alone due to signal degradation.[1][3]

The tactical impact of the equipment going dark appears to be immediate and measurable. The Ukrainian State Border Guard Service reported a noticeable drop in the number of Russian attack drones entering the northern Chernihiv Oblast over the past several days. Furthermore, large-scale Shahed raids along the Belarusian border have effectively ceased, providing a temporary reprieve for northern Ukrainian cities that have endured relentless aerial bombardment facilitated by the cross-border relays. Military analysts note that without these repeaters, Russia is forced to rely on longer, more predictable flight paths from its own territory, giving Ukrainian air defenses more time to intercept the incoming threats.[1]

The diplomatic standoff that precipitated the shutdown began on June 19, when Zelenskyy publicly demanded the removal of the repeaters. He framed the issue entirely around the ongoing casualties of Ukrainian civilians and children caused by the guided strikes, rejecting any notion that Belarus could remain a passive observer while its infrastructure was weaponized. "What's the point of saying he doesn't want war? Just take down that equipment; just shut it down," Zelenskyy stated during the initial ultimatum, setting a firm seven-day deadline for compliance.[1]

The ultimatum followed a rare and unexpected public apology from Lukashenko earlier in June. During a media broadcast, the Belarusian leader expressed regret for previous insults directed at Zelenskyy and promised that Belarus posed no military threat to Ukraine, effectively crossing his heart that his country would not enter the war. While Zelenskyy accepted the personal apology—noting that if an insult is personal, "thank God for it"—he emphasized that diplomatic pleasantries were entirely insufficient while Russian military hardware continued to operate freely from Belarusian territory and facilitate the killing of Ukrainians.[1][3]

Pushing his advantage, Zelenskyy has also expanded his demands beyond the drone relays. He is now calling on Minsk to halt the supply of petroleum products from Belarusian refineries, which have become a crucial logistical lifeline for the Russian army's mechanized units. Additionally, the Ukrainian president demanded that Belarusian industrial enterprises stop providing essential components for Russia's Oreshnik medium-range missile systems. By broadening the scope of his demands, Zelenskyy is signaling that Kyiv is increasingly willing to target the broader military-industrial cooperation between Minsk and Moscow, treating Belarus's economic support for the invasion as a legitimate security threat.[3]

Moscow has reacted sharply to Kyiv's forceful diplomacy, viewing the ultimatum as a direct challenge to its influence over Belarus and the integration of their defense networks. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov accused Ukraine of displaying blatant "aggression" and violating Belarusian sovereignty, ignoring the fact that the equipment in question was Russian military hardware. In response to the escalating tensions, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lukashenko are reportedly scheduling an urgent meeting to discuss the ultimatum and coordinate their response to Ukraine's increasingly assertive posture along the northern border.[3]

For now, the cessation of the relay signals represents a significant tactical shift for Ukraine's northern air defense, reducing the immediate threat of cross-border drone incursions. However, it also tests the delicate limits of Belarus's involvement in the broader conflict. Lukashenko remains caught between his deep political and economic reliance on Putin and his desperate desire to avoid a direct military confrontation with a battle-hardened Ukrainian military that has just proven its willingness to issue—and potentially enforce—red lines. Whether the equipment remains offline permanently, or if Russia finds alternative methods to guide its munitions, the episode underscores Ukraine's growing confidence in dictating security terms to its northern neighbor.[2]