Free Republic

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that Russia was seeking to draw Belarus deeper into its war in Ukraine and was weighing plans to attack Ukraine's north or a NATO country from Belarusian territory. "We continue to document Russia's attempts to draw Belarus deeper into the war against Ukraine," Zelenskiy said on the Telegram messaging app after meeting military and intelligence officials. He said Ukraine knew of additional contacts between Russia and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to persuade him to join "new Russian aggressive operations". "Russia is considering plans for operations to the south and north of Belarusian territory –...

Russian state media outlet Tass has reported that a Russian TU-22M3 strategic bomber crashed in Stavropol Krai, southwestern Russia. The exact cause of the crash remains unknown at this time as some Ukrainian sources claim that it was shot down, which would mark a first for the conflict. The crash comes as Russian bombers launched a series of missile strikes against Ukraine.