Lukashenko Launched A Massive Inspection Of Bomb Shelters Following Putin's Demand To Enter The War

• 15.07.2026, 19:14

Since the beginning of the year, 43 bomb shelters have been restored.

In Belarus, efforts to inventory, repair, and modernize bomb shelters have intensified since the beginning of the year, according to the project BELPOL. The project believes that these inspections are taking place “in a specific military-political context.” Inspections of the condition of civil defense shelters conducted from February through April resulted in the issuance of 66 orders to rectify violations. Eleven officials were held administratively liable, and 20 facilities were subject to official reprimands due to inadequate maintenance. According to BELPOL, 43 bomb shelters have been restored since the beginning of the year.

Inspections and modernization of protective structures are taking place against the backdrop of ongoing mobilization measures and military exercises. In June, the Belarusian Ministry of Defense conducted exercises in the Grodno Region, which borders Poland and Lithuania. During the exercises, the mobilization of civilians and transportation was practiced, and the registration data of several thousand conscripts was verified.

Since early 2026, Russian President Vladimir Putin has stepped up pressure on Alexander Lukashenko. According to WSJ sources, Putin is seeking Minsk’s active participation in the war against Ukraine—Moscow wants to use Belarusian territory to launch drone strikes against Ukraine and open a new front. Should Minsk refuse, the Kremlin is threatening to cut off financial support, the WSJ reported.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously expressed concerns about Belarus’s possible involvement in the war. In May, Macron spoke by phone with Lukashenko and warned him of the consequences of Belarus’s possible participation in the war. Zelenskyy also stated that Kyiv has information about negotiations between Moscow and Minsk regarding a potential expansion of military cooperation. He later demanded the dismantling of Russian relay stations on Belarusian territory, which are used to guide drone strikes.