'Don't get in Ukraine's way,' a senior military commander warned.

15:58, Wed, May 27, 2026 Updated: 16:02, Wed, May 27, 2026

Alexander Lukashenko with Vladimir Putin

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko (left) with ally Vladimir Putin (Image: Getty)

Ukraine has 500 targets “already on the list” if Belarus joins Russia’s war, Kyiv’s drone chief has warned. Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, cautioned Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko — a close ally of Vladimir Putin — against entering the war.

Tensions between Kyiv and Minsk have been rising as fears mount that Russia could use Belarus to create a new northern front against Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week warned Minsk of “consequences” if Kyiv faced any “aggressive actions” from its northern neighbour. Referring to Mr Lukashenko as a “gauleiter”, Major Brovdi warned the Belarusian leader: “A barking dog does not bite. A bird of prey is different. The first 500 targets are already on the list.”

Russian president Vladimir Putin

Russian president Vladimir Putin (Image: Getty)

“Free and very practical advice: don’t get in Ukraine’s way,” he added in a Facebook post, as reported by Ukrinform.

‘Gauleiter’ was a powerful regional leader in Nazi Germany appointed by Adolf Hitler and the term is sometimes used as an insult.

Mr Zelensky has said Ukraine is willing to take "preventive" measures against Russia and the Belarusian leadership over potential military threats.

Mr Lukashenko has denied any plans to involve Belarus in the war, unless "aggression is committed against [Belarusian] territory”.

He also said he is prepared to meet Mr Zelensky, something Ukraine dismissed.

Some Russian troops entered Ukraine from Belarusian territory as Moscow launched its full-scale invasion on February 24 2022.

Russia and Belarus share close military ties and last week completed three days of nuclear drills.

The exercise involved 64,000 troops, over 200 missile launchers, more than 140 aircraft, 73 surface warships and 13 submarines, including eight armed with nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles, Russia’s defence ministry said.

Belarus hosts Russian nuclear weapons, including the latest intermediate-range nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system.

Anne Keast-Butler, head of the UK intelligence agency GCHQ, said the figure shows Mr Putin’s war is “going backwards”.