Russian Defense Ministry announces start of nuclear drills
The Russian Defense Ministry announced the start of nuclear exercises on May 19 (Photo: REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov)
Russia’s Defense Ministry had launched nuclear exercises “under conditions of an aggression threat,” with the drills set to continue through May 21.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said the drills involve more than 64,000 troops, over 7,800 weapons systems and military vehicles, including more than 200 missile launchers and eight strategic missile submarines.
The ministry said the stated goal of the exercises is to “practice deterrence operations against an adversary and assess the readiness level of the participating forces.”
On May 18, Belarus’ Defense Ministry announced the start of what it described as “planned” exercises involving the combat use of nuclear weapons and nuclear support operations. Belarusian troops are expected to coordinate with Russian forces during the drills, which Minsk claimed “are not directed against third countries and pose no threat to regional security.”
The Belarusian ministry said the exercises are aimed at “improving personnel training, testing the army’s readiness to carry out assigned tasks and organizing combat deployment from unplanned locations.”
The drills will be overseen by Belarusian army Chief of the General Staff Pavel Muraveiko.
Belarus said missile forces and aviation units had been involved in the exercises alongside Russian troops and would practice the delivery of nuclear munitions and preparations for their use.
Nuclear weapons in Belarus
On May 25, 2023, the defense ministers of Russia and Belarus signed documents on the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory. The same day, Alexander Lukashenko said Russian nuclear weapons had already begun to be moved into Belarus.
In late December 2023, Lukashenko said the transfer of Russian nuclear weapons to Belarus had been completed.
On May 15, 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia continued attempts to draw Belarus into the war against Ukraine. He said possible scenarios included aggressive operations targeting Ukraine’s Chernihiv-Kyiv direction or one of NATO’s member states.
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