Forbes Misrepresented Zelenskyy’s Comments on Female Suicide Bombers from Belarus – Flash

On April 6, 2026, Sergei “Flash” Beskrestnov, an advisor to the Minister of Defense, stated that the media had misrepresented President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s remarks regarding Russia’s deployment of drone infrastructure on Belarusian territory. 

According to the expert, Forbes journalists mistakenly interpreted remote control antennas as “long-range bases” or airfields for launching drones. Beskrestnov emphasized that such publications create unnecessary psychological pressure on society amid constant attacks by Russia.

Earlier, Forbes reported on alleged Russian plans to create four drone launch bases, which would supposedly reduce the flight time of drones to Kyiv. In reality, the report referred to the restoration of command posts that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had already destroyed earlier. Beskrestnov emphasized that there is currently no confirmed information regarding the construction of new large-scale facilities for launching “suicide drones” directly from Belarus. Ukrainian intelligence continues to monitor enemy activity in the northern sector to prevent new threats. 

Zelenskyy announced the imposition of a new package of sanctions against the self-proclaimed leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko. The head of state noted that in the second half of 2025, the Russian military deployed a system of relay stations on Belarusian territory to control strike drones. This significantly expanded the Russian Federation’s military capabilities to strike northern regions of Ukraine—from the Kyiv region to Volyn.

Russia is actively using Belarusian territory as a springboard for military pressure on Ukraine, in particular for deploying missiles and launching attack drones, stated Pavlo Palisa, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.