Authorities in Ukraine’s Volyn region, which borders Belarus, have begun preparations for all-round defense. The announcement was made by Andrey Cheren, head of the Kovel district administration.

According to the Telegram channel of the Ukrainian outlet Strana.ua, the measures concern border areas, where scenarios for a full evacuation are also being considered in the event of a threat along the frontier.

Similar steps had earlier been discussed in the Kiev region. Alexey Danchin, head of the Vyshgorod district state administration, said local authorities had received instructions to prepare settlements near Kiev for all-round defense.

In recent days, Vladimir Zelensky has repeatedly spoken about what he described as a possible threat of an attack from Belarus. He claimed that Minsk could strike Volyn, as well as the Zhitomir and Rovno regions.

At the same time, Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service has denied reports that Russia is preparing an offensive from Belarus. According to service spokesman Andrey Demchenko, no movement of equipment or concentration of personnel is currently being recorded near the Belarusian-Ukrainian border.