Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
It’s simply too risky with the continued Ukrainian drone strikes.
Travel warnings often target distant, unstable nations, but officials in Belarus are now telling their citizens to stay away from their closest ally, Russia.
According to the Belarusian state news agency BELTA, Security Chief Alexander Volfovich issued the urgent warning following an explosion on a popular travel route.
The warning followed Moscow’s claims that a Ukrainian drone hit a civilian bus on the Minsk–Anapa route. The incident occurred in Russia’s Bryansk region.
Now, the risks are simply too high.
“I warned you, the president has repeatedly expressed himself and said: ‘Dear Belarusians, refrain from traveling to Russia today, especially to the border regions,'” Volfovich said, according to BELTA.
Falling from the sky
The border remains open, but the Belarusian government cannot guarantee anyone’s safety.
“Drones fall there every day. Such serious incidents happen. We have not closed the border; everyone decides for themselves whether to go or not,” Volfovich added.
Confusion quickly surrounded the incident. Local state television station ONT first suggested the bus was hit accidentally, but it later deleted that report. Meanwhile, the independent outlet Zerkalo noted major differences between the accounts coming out of Minsk and Moscow.
Russian Ambassador Boris Gryzlov called the incident a planned attack by Ukraine. But Kyiv strongly rejects that claim. Major Andrii Kovaliov told Interfax-Ukraine that the Russian accusations are a deliberate provocation intended to distract from Russia’s own strikes on civilians.
Building up walls
This war of words comes as Ukraine aggressively reinforces its borders. It is a massive project. Since 2022, crews in the Chernihiv region have installed anti-tank ditches, barbed wire, and concrete barriers known as dragon’s teeth.
A local border commander known as Nissan said their defensive structures have expanded by 500 percent. It is a massive effort. Still, military officials report no signs of an imminent attack. Both countries are simply watching each other closely.
