Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has given Belarus one week to dismantle four signal relay stations he says are actively guiding Russian Shahed drone strikes on Ukrainian civilians, warning that Kyiv will destroy the equipment itself if Minsk refuses.
“There’s no need for extra words,” Zelenskyy said Friday. “I think a week is enough for him to do that. If he doesn’t do it, we will.” The stations are positioned in Belarus’s Homiel and Brest oblasts, both bordering Ukraine, and are used to adjust targeting against Zhytomyr, Rivne, and Volyn regions, as well as energy infrastructure and rail facilities, Zelenskyy said in his June 20 address.
Regarding Belarus.
When the full-scale war began, we were hit by missiles that killed children and adults. And Alexander Lukashenko knows this. A large number of missiles were launched from Belarus. Back then, he called, apologized, and said it was out of his control. I don’t… pic.twitter.com/OuhCLwbEaf
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 19, 2026
A Defense Forces source told RBC-Ukraine the stations specifically guide Shahed strikes, a detail most major Western outlets did not report. That narrows the equipment’s function beyond generic signal relay and points directly to Russia’s primary long-range platform targeting Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.
Kyiv’s pressure on Minsk extends further. Zelenskyy said Belarus’s petrol rail shipments to Russia grew nearly 13-fold in the first five months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, reaching 270,000 tons. “Today, Belarus is one of the key suppliers for the Russian army,” he said.
Ukraine will remove Belarus border retranslators used to guide fire on Ukrainian civilians if Belarus doesn’t remove or turn them off within a week, Zelensky says. He also mentions Belarus’s oil refining industry and role as key supplier to Russia’s army. pic.twitter.com/DjoXuauWEL
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) June 19, 2026
The ultimatum follows Ukraine’s June 20 strike on an oil refinery in Russia’s Tyumen region, more than 1,200 miles from Ukraine, using newly upgraded ‘FP’ series long-range drones, a Ukrainian-developed platform with a confirmed range exceeding 1,860 miles. Zelenskyy confirmed both the strike and the system.
Our long-range sanctions have reached Russia’s Tyumen region – another oil-processing facility, over 2,000 kilometers from our state border. An effective strike.
The job was carried out by the new, upgraded FP drones that can now reach targets at distances of 3,000 kilometers.… pic.twitter.com/jmsYjaD1uH
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 20, 2026
Lukashenko told Al Arabiya on June 15 that Belarus posed no threat to Ukraine. He stopped short of committing to removing the relay equipment.
Zelenskyy warned Saturday that Russia was preparing a large-scale strike. “Tonight and in the coming days, please take air raid alerts especially seriously,” he said.
