Russia confirmed this Thursday that it is supporting the nuclear drills announced by Belarus by supplying nuclear ammunition for its missile systems, in exercises that Minsk insists on presenting as not directed against any specific country.
"We are not going to fight with anyone if no one bothers us," said Belarusian President, Alexander Lukashenko, present at the drills held this Thursday in the city of Osipovichi. "We are not threatening anyone (...) but, God forbid, we will not beat around the bush," he warned.
Lukashenko expressed his satisfaction with the development of the exercises in Belarusian territory and with the performance of his country's military personnel who took part in the drills carried out in Russia. "They hit the target. This shows that our men have mastered these systems very quickly," he celebrated.
The Belarusian leader and Russian President, Vladimir Putin, held a video conference in which the Defense ministers and high-ranking commanders of both armies also participated. Lukashenko reiterated that they do not represent "any threat to anyone," but stressed the need to know how to handle this arsenal in an increasingly tense international context.
"We have these weapons and we are ready to defend our common homeland from Brest to Vladivostok by all means. If we have something in our hands, we must know how to use it," he stated, according to the state agency Belta.
Putin highlighted that this Thursday's nuclear exercises are the first to jointly integrate the Armed Forces of Russia and Belarus, while emphasizing that the use of this type of weaponry "should be an extreme and exceptional measure."
"Given the growing tensions in the world and the emergence of new threats and risks, our nuclear triad, as always, must serve to reliably guarantee the sovereignty of Russia and Belarus, ensuring strategic deterrence, the maintenance of nuclear parity, and the balance of power globally," assessed the Kremlin chief.
JOINT MILITARY EXERCISES
In a statement, the Russian Ministry of Defense detailed that the support for Belarusian missile units in their combat training comprises "special munitions for Iskander-M systems, their loading onto carrier missiles, and covert movement to the designated deployment area to prepare for launches".
This Monday, Minsk reported that the Belarusian Armed Forces have initiated a military training program with nuclear weapons to "improve readiness" in the use of "modern means of destruction including special munitions".
According to the Belarusian Ministry of Defense, the series of maneuvers focuses on the "operational use of nuclear weapons and nuclear support" and is carried out "under the supervision of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the Deputy Minister of Defense".
The objective of these exercises is to "perfect the personnel's readiness level, verify the availability of war means and combat material for mission accomplishment, and organize combat deployment from unplanned areas," the official note indicates.
Given the increased tension over Belarus's possible direct involvement in the invasion of Ukraine, Minsk maintains that these maneuvers "are not directed at third countries nor do they pose a threat to regional security." Moscow, for its part, has denied any intention to launch "attacks" from Belarusian territory and accuses Kyiv of trying to provoke "an increase in tension" with its statements, despite Russia having already used Belarus as a platform for its full-scale offensive against Ukraine in February 2022.