Paris refused to transfer to Kyiv a digital map of Belarus for military purposes

France has denied Ukraine a request to hand over a digital map to Belarus that would allow Ukrainian warplanes and drones to fly at low altitudes. About it informs newspaper Le Monde, citing a military source.

We are talking about digital maps, or DTED (Digital Terrain Elevation Data). Such materials describe in detail the terrain and list all objects that can become an obstacle to aircraft, in particular, power lines, wind turbines and weapons, including radars and anti-aircraft batteries, the newspaper writes.

“They [карты] combine all the tactical data needed to fly at very low altitude, at night or in conditions of poor visibility, ”explained the source of the newspaper.

Paris explained its decision by the fact that it supports Kyiv “in the defense of only Ukrainian territory”, but will not allow military operations on the territory of other countries, a Le Monde source claims. The French Defense Ministry declined to comment.

The interlocutor also noted that Ukraine has applied for this data to other Western countries that provide it with military support. According to the newspaper, Kyiv probably received a refusal from other members of the coalition before turning to the French authorities.

In February, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko declaredthat the republic “is by no means going to send its troops to the territory of Ukraine.” At the same time, he added, if aggression from Kyiv follows, then Minsk’s response “will be the most severe.”

During messages to the people and parliament at the end of March, Lukashenko announced an external threat to the security of Belarus. According to him, Western countries are trying to drag Minsk into the conflict and are “preparing to invade the territory of Belarus to destroy” the country. The Belarusian leader stressed that the authorities would respond to attack attempts “symmetrically, adequately.”