A senior Ukrainian military official says there is a growing danger that Russia will open a new front in the war by coordinating with Belarus, using the country to cut military supplies to Ukraine, CNN reports.

“The threat of resuming the offensive of the armed forces of the Russian Federation on the northern front is increasing,” Oleksiy Gromov, senior chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said at a press conference in Kyiv.

“This time, the direction of the offensive may be changed to (the western part of) the border between Belarus and Ukraine, in order to cut the main logistical arteries of supplying Ukraine with weapons and military equipment from partner countries.”

Khromov noted that the Armed Forces “are taking measures to reliably cover the state border of Ukraine and the city of Kyiv from the northern direction.”

If the enemy decides to open a so-called second front, namely to conduct offensive actions from the Republic of Belarus, “we will be ready for an appropriate response.”

Belarusian authorities deny any plans to mobilize, but have held large-scale exercises this year and recently announced joint forces with Russian forces.

When Belarusian and Russian forces last held joint exercises in February, many of those Russian forces continued to cross the Ukrainian border on their way to the capital.

Ukraine and Belarus share a 1,000-kilometer border, much of which is sparsely populated and densely forested.

Belarus does not have a large army. But the prospect of the long northern border once again becoming a passage for Russian troops would be a nightmare for Ukraine’s already overstretched forces.

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