Belarusian jet triggers air raid alarm in Kyiv and Zhytomyr
An unidentified aerial target that entered Ukraine from Belarus was identified as a Yak-130 fighter jet of the Belarusian Air Force. Consequently, an air raid alarm was announced in the Kyiv and Zhytomyr regions. The Air Force announced that the threat had been repelled.
11:07 AM EDT, September 24, 2024
The information about an unidentified aerial target entering Ukraine from Belarus was reported by several sources, including the Kyiv Post.
The object was reported to be heading south. This led to an air raid alarm being announced in the Kyiv and Zhytomyr regions.
Before 9:00 AM Eastern Time, the Ukrainian Air Force confirmed, based on information from the independent Belarusian Hajun service, that the target was a Yak-130 training-combat aircraft.
Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs, later announced on X that the alarm was canceled.
Speculations have emerged online that the Belarusian regime wanted to "test Ukraine's reactions."
Belarusian military on the border with Ukraine
Since August 10, the Armed Forces and the Air Force of the Republic of Belarus have been moving to the Homel region, which borders Ukraine. The reason for moving the troops south was the situation in Ukraine and the Kursk region in Russia.
On August 25, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement directly indicating the threat posed by the Belarusian army's presence near the borders.
The warning addressed to the regime in Minsk stated that "all troop concentrations, military facilities, and supply routes in Belarus will become legitimate targets for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. " Ukrainian diplomacy announced that "in case of a violation of Ukraine's state border by Belarus, our state will take all necessary measures to exercise the right to self-defense."
