Ukraine calls for long-range missiles to counter Russian offensive 2:36
Belarus-Ukraine Border (CNN) --
Tensions are rising on the border of Ukraine and Moscow's ally Belarus as officials in Kyiv warn of a Russian spring offensive amid intensified military attacks on the Kremlin.
In a rare move since Russia invaded Ukraine last year, a CNN team visited Belarus' southwestern border near northwestern Ukraine, accompanied by state border officials.
ANALYSIS |
Ukraine looks with concern at its northern border for a new entry of Russian troops into Belarus
Ukraine shares a 1,000-kilometre border with Belarus, a country that has played a key role in helping Russia attack.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen and his team stood 100 meters from the Ukrainian side, where they observed the fortification of the border area that the Belarusian government has built with barbed wire.
The access occurred during a carefully orchestrated and strictly controlled visit with journalists.
According to the CNN team on the ground, the Ukrainian side of the border has multiple barricades with several layers of barbed wire and mounds of earth to prevent anyone from getting through.
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Belarusian officials told CNN that their side's border crossing in the small town of Dyvin is still open, but the Ukrainian side closed it.
A Belarusian border guard stands guard next to a barricade made from truck tires at the Dyvin border crossing between Belarus and Ukraine in the Brest region on February 15, 2023. (Credit: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images)
Kyiv has closed all border crossings with Belarus, except to occasionally allow in Ukrainian refugees seeking to return to their home country, fearing Belarus could be used for a new invasion by Russia.
The CNN team was able to see a Ukrainian flag on their side of the border crossing and a red and white flag associated with the Belarusian opposition, a move Belarusian authorities called a "provocation."
Russia used the territory of Belarus as one of its platforms for its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Joint military drills held last year between Belarus and Russia raise concerns that Belarusian troops could join Russian forces in Ukraine.
Ukraine shares a 1,000-kilometre border with Belarus, a country that has played a key role in helping Russia attack.
(Credit: Frederik Pleitgen/CNN)
A sign reads "Have a good trip" at the Dyvin border crossing between Belarus and Ukraine on February 15, 2023. (Credit: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images)
Earlier this month, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said it had concluded a two-week joint air force exercise between Belarus and Russia, which took place from January 16 to February 1.
In a separate statement, the ministry announced the start of a week of joint military exercises with Russia for the combined command of their regional grouping of forces.
The ministry said it is preparing for the Union Shield 2023 joint exercises that the two countries will hold in Russia in September.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has repeatedly dismissed speculation that his troops would directly join the fighting across the border.
But Ukraine warned in December that it "does not rule out" a "deliberate provocation" by Russia after Minsk said the remains of a Ukrainian missile had landed on its territory.
CNN's Anna Chernova contributed reporting
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