MINSK. Feb 21 (Interfax) - The Belarusian Armed Forces have started to respond to provocative acts on the Ukrainian border, a high-ranking Belarusian official said on Tuesday.
"The likelihood of armed provocations [on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border] capable of evolving into border incidents has remained high for quite a long time. That said, while we only recorded provocative acts earlier, now we've switched to measures to properly respond to them," Valery Revenko, aide to the Belarusian defense minister on international military cooperation, said at a press briefing for foreign defense attaches accredited in Minsk.
"Let me stress that this response has been as reserved as possible. We understand that it depends on our composure whether the armed conflict in Ukraine remains limited within the current boundaries or becomes more substantial," Revenko said.
"The armed conflict in Ukraine has considerably worsened the situation on the Republic of Belarus's southern border," Revenko said.
"A considerable Ukrainian armed formation has been concentrated in the near vicinity of the Belarusian-Ukrainian border section now. Reconnaissance activities against our country are being conducted at a high level, involving scouting parties and unmanned aerial vehicles. The Republic of Belarus's airspace has been violated from time to time in pursuing these activities," he said.