Did the mobilization begin in Belarus? No, that's not true: Mobilization exercises with military commissariats of the Minsk region were scheduled for the end of June 2023.
The claim originated from a video (archived here) published on TikTok by @michalokr20 on June 15, 2023. The video shows a helicopter with a flag of Belarus flying over the city. The caption in Russian reads (as translated by Lead Stories staff):
The mobilization begins in Belarus, helicopters with national flags fly, and announcements are made over the loudspeakers
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Tue Jun 27 11:06:21 2023 UTC)
On June 25, this video was shared again on TikTok here, with an additional note in Russian on the left:
I think there's going to be a war
In Belarus, a close ally of Russia, rumors of mobilization frequently arise with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has turned into a full-scale war. False information increased after the Wagner group's June 23-24 rebellion in Russia and its possible relocation to Belarus.
No nationwide mobilization has been announced in Belarus. On June 21, the Ministry of Defense reported that mobilization drills with military commissariats would be held in the Minsk region for ten days until June 30. This event is held annually in compliance with the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus plan.
