MINSK, July 5. /TASS/. Minsk and its allies will counter any attempts to cause trouble at the Belarus-Ukraine border, Major General Vladimir Kupriyanyuk, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Belarusian Armed Forces, said.

"Undoubtedly, together with our allies, we will react to any attempts to carry out acts of provocation," he told a briefing in Minsk.

According to the General Staff deputy chief, Belarus has not and will not "raise tensions in any way" despite a difficult situation on the border with Ukraine. "I am confident that common sense will generally prevail," Kupriyanyuk said.

The general pointed out that "based on the current situation, the existing trends and various statements by Western politicians," Minsk was being forced to "take appropriate response measures." In this regard, efforts are underway to strengthen the country’s southern border and regular training of forces is conducted to practice ways to respond to any acts of aggression. "In order to cover the main roads, plans have been drawn up to move combined armed units to support missile and artillery forces, as well as combat aircraft," the General Staff deputy chief emphasized.

He noted that the Belarusian army had reinforced on-duty air defenses and deployed additional electronic warfare units to defend crucial government and military facilities. "Unmanned aerial vehicles and ground surveillance systems are being widely used to monitor the situation," Kupriyanyuk added.

"A rapid response system has been created, which makes it possible to ensure our country’s military security at a moment’s notice. We believe that we will be heard and succeed in preventing further escalation," the deputy chief of the Belarusian General Staff said.