Ukraine is still fortifying its border with Belarus years after Russia invaded from there

ALONG THE UKRAINE-BELARUS BORDER (AP) — More than four years after Russia launched its assault on Kyiv from Belarus, Ukraine is still fortifying the border it shares with Moscow's ally. What was once a busy crossing between the two countries is now a quiet, mine-laden stretch of land closed off to civilians.

Roads near the 1,084-kilometer-long (673-mile-long) border are covered for long distances by anti-drone netting. The surrounding landscape is dominated by rows of razor wire and concrete anti-tank barriers known as “dragon’s teeth.”

The Associated Press visited parts of the border in northern Ukraine earlier this month, following a rise in tensions between the two countries; Ukraine demanded that Belarus shut down communications relay stations Russia had installed to boost the range of its drones attacking Ukrainian cities.

Belarus obliged, according to Ukraine, and rhetoric between the two governments has eased since then. While Ukrainian officials say they see no signs of a Russian troop buildup in Belarus, they are determined to strengthen their border against any possible threat.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has repeatedly said he has no plans for his troops to enter the war unless his country is attacked. Still, people living near the border say the possibility of Belarus becoming more involved in Russia’s war remains a source of anxiety.

For many residents, the extensive defenses are both a reminder of the early days of the war and a source of reassurance that Ukraine is preparing for any future scenarios.

Ukrainian border guards patrol the area around the clock using armored vehicles, drones and other surveillance systems. Ukrainian officials say the addition of more defenses will remain a priority well into the future because Belarus is Russia's closest military ally.

Associated Press journalist Volodymyr Yurchuk in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed.

Ukrainian workers build a strongpoint close to the Ukraine-Belarus border in an undisclosed location in Ukraine Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Ukrainian workers install barbed wire close to the Ukraine-Belarus border in an undisclosed location in Ukraine Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Ukrainian workers install barbed wire close to the Ukraine-Belarus border in an undisclosed location in Ukraine Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Ukrainian border guards patrol Ukraine-Belarus border in an undisclosed location in Ukraine Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

A Ukrainian border guard is on duty at the Ukraine-Belarus border in an undisclosed location in Ukraine Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

A local resident rides a bike under an anti-drone net close to the Ukraine-Belarus border in an undisclosed location in Ukraine Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Ukrainian border guards patrol Ukraine-Belarus border in an undisclosed location in Ukraine Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

NEW YORK (AP) — A suspect in two separate stabbings on New York City streets was arrested Friday on attempted murder and charged with hate crimes relating to both victims, a Jewish man and an Asian man.

Raul Morales, 51, allegedly yelled the Arabic phrase “Allahu akbar” while attacking the two men Thursday on Manhattan's Upper West Side, according to police accounts of what witnesses told them.

Morales was initially arrested Friday on hate crime charges related to the Jewish man but not the other. He was arraigned later that day and charged with attempted murder and assault as hate crimes related to both victims.

As Morales was led out of a police station Friday evening, he shouted about seeking justice for someone. When reporters asked about the stabbings, he responded that he was “gonna talk about it” as he was ushered into a police car.

Morales' court-appointed attorney did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment late Friday.

The stabbings happened about two blocks apart Thursday afternoon, police said. Both victims were taken to a hospital and were expected to survive. They were in stable condition Friday, state Attorney General Letitia James said at a morning news conference with other officials and community leaders.

According to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, Morales approached the Asian man from behind and stabbed him with a knife “without provocation." Then, after walking four blocks away, he stabbed the Jewish man wearing a kippah with a screwdriver, prosecutors said.

A witness followed Morales as he fled to the apartment he was staying at, prosecutors said.

The Jewish victim was attacked just after leaving a nearby synagogue, called the Jewish Center, Rabbi Yosie Levine said.

“He was just trying to pray at his synagogue, and now we’re the ones praying for his recovery,” Levine said.

The Asian American Foundation, a New York-based advocacy group, said in a statement the attacks “underscore the persistent safety challenges” and mistreatment — from harassment to physical assault — facing Asian Americans in the city.

“We demand continued, meaningful investment in community safety and hate prevention that protects everyone,” the group said in a statement.

The charges Morales faces carry a consecutive total of 40 years in prison, prosecutors said. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 30.

Hate crimes in New York City have been on the rise in recent years, while overall violent crime rates have dropped, according to police data. Tisch said in April that more than half of all confirmed hate crimes in the city so far this year targeted Jewish people. Estimates of the size of the city's Jewish community vary, but it's far less than half the overall population.

“We are undeniably being disproportionately targeted, again and again and again,” City Comptroller Mark Levine said at the Friday morning news conference, where he also told Asian Americans: “We stand in outrage with you.”

James and Levine are Democrats.

Raul Morales, center, a 51-year-old man who is accused of stabbing two people on the Upper West Side in Manhattan on Thursday afternoon is escorted out of the NYPD 20th Precinct by police officers in New York, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

Raul Morales, a 51-year-old man who is accused of stabbing two people on the Upper West Side in Manhattan on Thursday afternoon is escorted out of the NYPD 20th Precinct by police officers in New York, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

Raul Morales, a 51-year-old man who is accused of stabbing two people on the Upper West Side in Manhattan on Thursday afternoon is escorted out of the NYPD 20th Precinct by police officers in New York, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

Police investigate the scene of a stabbing attack on Manhattan's Upper West Side on Thursday, July 23, 2026 in New York. (WABC-TV via AP)

Raul Morales, a 51-year-old man who is accused of stabbing two people on the Upper West Side in Manhattan on Thursday afternoon is escorted out of the NYPD 20th Precinct by police officers in New York, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

Raul Morales, a 51-year-old man who is accused of stabbing two people on the Upper West Side in Manhattan on Thursday afternoon is escorted out of the NYPD 20th Precinct by police officers in New York, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)