"If The Kremlin Gives Minsk The Order, This Brigade Will Be Deployed."
- 9.08.2026, 19:49
A Ukrainian Armed Forces colonel assessed the possibility of Belarusian military forces being drawn into the war.
A new strike force is being formed in southern Belarus. The 37th Separate Airborne Assault will be stationed near Gomel, just a few dozen kilometers from the Ukrainian border. It will consist of airborne, artillery, anti-aircraft, and reconnaissance units.
Could Russia deploy the new brigade being formed by Lukashenko to launch an offensive or divert Ukrainian forces in the Chernihiv direction? The website Charter97.org spoke with Colonel (Reserve) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a participant in peacekeeping missions in Kosovo and Iraq Serhiy Grabsky:
— Of course it can. Why not? If Putin gives the order to Minsk, then this brigade will be used as cannon fodder in this war, as a military force against Ukraine. I’m far from thinking that the current Minsk regime has any autonomy or pursues its own policy. Therefore, if ordered, the order will be carried out.
But I still don’t think the brigade will be deployed anytime soon. It’s too expensive and impractical, since it hasn’t even been formed yet. What do we have as of today? Literally just one battalion. The rest of the units are still in the process of being formed.
There is absolutely no question of this brigade being used in combat operations for at least a year. It must be fully formed, undergo combat coordination, and complete a full range of staff and field-level exercises and training. Then its readiness must be assessed. Only after that can it be considered a fully-fledged military unit.
But here’s the next question: Does this brigade have combat experience? Are there people in it who have gained such experience? I can assume that there are or will be. But does that mean the brigade will be deployed in a war as a single military unit? No.
There is another point to understand. Individual groups or service members of this brigade may be deployed on a completely “voluntary” basis to carry out sabotage operations on Ukrainian territory, including in the Chernihiv region. That’s basically it.
As a single unit, the brigade can be deployed in combat operations only if a Russian force is deployed on or near the territory of Belarus.