Belarus rejects attempts to drag country into conflict, says security chief

Belarus will not be drawn into a conflict through provocations and remains committed to peace, common sense, and diplomatic solutions, Belarusian State Secretary of the Security Council Aleksandr Volfovich said.

Speaking about the reported drone strike on a bus carrying Belarusian children in Russia's Bryansk Region, Volfovich said investigators had already gathered information that would be presented to the country's leadership, BelTA reports.

"There are already certain developments, so to speak, which will be reported to the head of state [following the questioning of witnesses to the strike on a Belarusian bus in Russia's Bryansk Region]. A decision will be made. But Belarus will not be drawn into a conflict. We stand for peace, prudence, and resolving all issues through diplomatic means," Volfovich was quoted as saying by the BelTA news agency.

The security official stressed that the attack targeted civilians regardless of their nationality and suggested that those responsible sought to provoke tensions between Belarus and Ukraine.

"It does not matter whose bus it was — Belarusian, Russian, or from any other country. It was a bus carrying civilians. But those who carried out this strike were trying to create a pretext to pit Belarus against Ukraine and provoke an undesirable situation," he said.

Volfovich's comments came after a drone struck a bus carrying children from Belarus in Russia's Bryansk Region. Belarusian authorities are continuing to assess the circumstances surrounding the incident.

By Vafa Guliyeva