section_path: Foreign involvement/Support for Russia/Belarus
section_name: Belarus
paragraph_text: Belarus
  
  Belarus has allowed Russia to use its territory to stage part of the invasion, and to launch Russian missiles into Ukraine. Belarus airspace was used by Russia, including for radar early warning and control missions, until 2023, when a Russian Beriev A-50 surveillance plane was damaged by drones. Because of its active involvement, Belarus is considered a co-belligerent in this invasion, as contrasted to non-belligerent states, which have "a wide range of tools available to non-belligerent actors without reaching the threshold of warfighting". Political scientist Matthew Frear considers Belarus a co- combatant, with " Lukashenko repeatedly stated his support for Putin's military actions", while 2023 issue of IISS 's "Armed Conflict Survey" journal classified it as not a direct co-combatant. Belarus provided Russia with weapons and ammunition, and later, according to the 2024 issue of "Armed Conflict Survey", Russia deployed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.