MINSK, July 17. /TASS/. Belarusian border security forces intercepted a Ukrainian reconnaissance drone in the Gomel Region, the State Border Security Committee announced Monday.

"A border security unit on duty on River Dnieper discovered an unmanned aerial vehicle that violated the state border from Ukrainian territory. The drone was used for reconnaissance of border area of the Republic of Belarus," the statement says.

The Border Security Committee noted that the drone was forcibly landed in the Braginsky District on July 16 via an electronic warfare gun.

In late May, Belarusian border security downed a Ukrainian drone with service weapons. In early February, a Ukrainian drone was intercepted near the state border in the Brest Region. Similar incidents were also reported last fall and in early winter. According to the Committee, since the beginning of the special military operation, Ukrainian drones passed by the Belarusian border 463 times by mid-January.

The decree on protection of the state border, approved by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in 2023, stipulates that the main efforts must be concentrated on the Ukrainian direction. According to the Border Security Committee, by the beginning of this year, Ukraine has concentrated 17,200 servicemen at the border and builds fortifications, including minefields. The Ukrainian side regularly carries out provocations at the border, including with use of weapons; a total of 88 such cases were registered in 2022. The Belarusian side deployed reinforced border patrols, security equipment, and established maneuverable groups with armored vehicles and artillery. The Committee announced that Minsk plans to increase the number of units involved in protection of the 1,084-km border with Ukraine.