Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has ordered the country's military to test its nuclear-capable weapon systems, the Defense Ministry in Minsk announced on Tuesday. Moscow ordered similar drills on Monday, citing hostile rhetoric by Western officials that necessitated a show of force.
Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said a battery of Iskander missile launchers and a squadron of Sukhoi Su-25 close air support jets will be involved in the snap exercise.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans to store a small number of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus last year, amid escalating tensions with the US and its allies over Ukraine.
Washington has had a similar arrangement with several NATO members for decades. Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Türkiye are estimated to host several dozen B-61 nuclear gravity bombs on their soil.
Moscow has long objected to the practice, as well as the training of other NATO members in how those weapons can be used, claiming the steps violate the spirit of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
Russian possesses a full range of nuclear weapons, from powerful warheads mounted on intercontinental ballistic missiles to smaller versions suitable for shorter-range delivery systems. “Tactical” nukes are meant to be deployed at a lower level of military planning and are primarily meant for inflicting damage on enemy troops and fortifications. By contrast, strategic weapons create deterrence by guaranteeing an unacceptable level of destruction to any potential aggressor.