Russia and Belarus Hold Joint Drills That Train for Nuclear Use

Overview

• The Belarusian defense ministry said forces began joint exercises on Monday across the country that include preparing and simulating the launch of nuclear weapons.
• Minsk described the drills as readiness tests that target no third country, while Russia’s military leadership offered no public comment.
• The Kremlin’s spokesman rejected President Volodymyr Zelensky’s claim that Russia is preparing Belarus as a staging ground for new attacks.
• Ukraine’s foreign ministry condemned the maneuvers and urged Western allies to tighten sanctions on both Moscow and Minsk.
• The training features Russian Oreshnik ballistic missiles now based in Belarus after Moscow’s 2024 doctrine change, following Belarus’s post-Soviet transfer of nuclear arms under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum.