The Belarusian government has shut down Ukraine's consulate in the western city of Brest and ordered an unspecified number of Ukrainian diplomats to leave the Ukrainian Embassy in Minsk as Belarus continues to assist Russian armed forces in their attacks against Ukraine.
Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Anatol Hlaz said on March 23 that Ukraine's ambassador and four employees at the embassy in Minsk will be allowed to stay in the country, while the rest of the staff will be forced to leave.
Hlaz added that the move was made due to "Ukraine's numerous unfriendly actions" conducted for many years "to irresponsibly destroy interstate relations" with Belarus.
SEE ALSO: Live Briefing: Russia Invades UkraineA day earlier, Belarus's security service (KGB) said in a statement that at least 10 employees at the Ukrainian Embassy, which accounts for almost half of the diplomatic mission's staff, were actually "staff members of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's main intelligence directorate" and allegedly "involved in recruiting agents and collecting classified data."
On March 19, Belarus recalled all of its embassy staff in Kyiv, which prompted speculation that Belarus was preparing to send its troops to Ukraine to help Russian armed forces.
Belarus has aided Russian President Vladimir Putin by allowing Belarusian territory to be used by Russians troops to launch attacks against Ukraine.