Russian and Belarusian armed forces have started joint non-strategic nuclear weapon exercises, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced Tuesday. This marks the “second stage” of broader drills initiated by Moscow early last month.
The exercises aim to maintain the readiness of personnel and equipment for the combat use of non-strategic nuclear weapons, ensuring the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Union State, a political and economic union between Russia and Belarus.
A video released by the Russian Defense Ministry showed armored vehicles, missile carriers, jets, and bombers in action. However, the specific locations of these exercises were not disclosed.
The first stage of these nuclear exercises occurred late last month in the Southern Military District, including areas of Ukraine that Russia claims to have annexed.
President Vladimir Putin ordered the drills in early May in response to Western “threats and provocations,” particularly comments by French President Emmanuel Macron about NATO potentially sending troops to Ukraine.
In early May, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko ordered a surprise inspection of its non-strategic nuclear weapon carriers. Although Belarus does not possess its own nuclear weapons, it agreed last year to host Russian tactical warheads amid rising tensions over the Ukraine conflict.
