Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus, appears to have indicated that Vladimir Putin’s forces plan to invade Moldova.
Putin’s military aide addressed security officials today as he stood in front of a battle map that appears to show a planned operation from southern Ukraine to its small neighbor.
The map also shows proposed combat plans for Russian troops across the country.
It details Russia’s lines of attack on Ukraine, some of which materialized during the first few days of the invasion, such as forces storming Kyiv from the north and Kherson from Crimea.
But they also showed several attacks that are yet to take place – one even seems to point from the port city of Odessa to Moldova, suggesting that Russia plans to send troops to Ukraine’s neighbor.
Alexander Lukashenko appeared in front of a map of the battle during a TV show that appears to describe in detail Russia’s plans to attack Ukraine
The map seems to suggest that forces will be sent from the Ukrainian city of Odessa to attack neighboring Moldova, where Russia already has troops.
The map is divided into four parts, which correspond to the command areas of the Ukrainian military, showing Russian attacks from Belarus, the eastern border of Ukraine and the occupied Crimea.
It shows a two-way pliers movement aimed at Kyiv – an ongoing attack – which has also been shown to leave occupied Donetsk and Crimea before joining Melitopol, which Russia has captured.
But attacks have also been shown that hit the city of Dnipro, which has not yet been carried out – probably because the forces assigned to attack it have been held back by fierce resistance in Kharkiv, which is on the route.
Another attack appears to be aimed at the city of Cherkasy via the city of Sumy, where Russian forces have also been detained, while a third appears to be detached from Kyiv’s attack on Zhytomyr.
Perhaps most astonishing is the display of troops attacking from the Ukrainian port city of Odessa to Transnistria, a breakaway region of Moldova occupied by Russia.
Nicolas Popescu, Moldova’s deputy prime minister, acknowledged today that his country is in a “very risky area” and that the population is experiencing “anxiety and fear”.
But, he added, he does not expect to be attacked and instead sees the biggest challenge as dealing with the influx of refugees.
Lukashenko uses the card as he speaks to his security council about Belarus’ missile strikes on Ukraine
The map describes several attacks already carried out, such as a bilateral attack by Belarus and Russia on Kyiv (pictured Russian convoy heading to Kyiv)
The map also shows what the Ukrainian military infrastructure and missile batteries look like in places that were hit by Russian missile strikes on the first day of the invasion.
In a video of the meeting published online, Lukashenko can also be heard talking about missile strikes from Belarusian territory against Ukraine before the main Russian attack.
“The missiles in the Mazir area hit them [Ukrainian] positions, after which we never saw them again, “Lukashenko told his top cabinet.
“Once the Russians launched their offensive, we no longer saw these positions.
“That’s why I say yes, there really were rocket launches from Belarusian territory, and I honestly shared what targets we attacked.”
Perhaps worrying about the direction the war may take from here, the chart also includes a map of the mainland of the United States and Canada.
A box on the right, describing what appears to be military units, also contains the badge of the US Army Air Cavalry, while below it is a map of the whole of Europe – perhaps detailing the positions of NATO troops.
Russia is already six days after its invasion of Ukraine, and the battle does not seem to be planned.
The Ukrainian military has put up stronger resistance than expected, while ordinary civilians have also come to power to oppose the “occupiers”.
The battle map also shows Russian forces heading through the city of Kharkiv to the Dnieper – an attack that may have been delayed due to heavy resistance (pictured)
Putin’s military, meanwhile, has suffered an embarrassing series of defeats as it has tried to strike precise targets at key targets in an apparent effort to win the war quickly and convincingly.
This has raised fears that he is now on track to deploy Russian heavy armor and artillery in an attempt to break through to victory, a strategy that could cause huge civilian casualties.
A 40-mile-long “terrifying” convoy of tanks and artillery is now heading for the capital, Kyiv, apparently in an attempt to encircle it.
Russian forces began bombing the city today, hitting a television mast and a Holocaust memorial after warning citizens to leave or risk being killed.
Mariupol, in the south, is reported to have been the subject of prolonged land and air bombings, while fighting has also been reported in Kherson and Chernihiv.
Kharkov, the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in the early days of the war, was hit by cluster munitions on Monday before a large cruise missile landed there on Tuesday, killing dozens.
President Zelenski described the attacks as “war crimes” and called on prosecutors to investigate, as The Hauge International Criminal Court has already opened a case.
Putin, meanwhile, is almost isolated on the world stage as sanctions cut off Russia’s economy from the outside world, causing the currency to collapse and the stock market to collapse.