Belarus Conducts Nuclear Weapons Drill, Simulating Wartime Munitions Deployment with Russian Forces

Belarus announced today that it has begun exercises to simulate the deployment of nuclear weapons in a real-world scenario, in cooperation with Russian forces. Belarus is a host nation for Russian nuclear weapons. According to Reuters, the Belarusian Ministry of Defence stated in a statement: "During this exercise, we plan to practice the deployment and pre-use preparation of nuclear munitions in cooperation with Russia." The ministry noted that the drills will test the military's readiness to deploy nuclear weapons in different regions of the country, "focusing on covert operations, long-range maneuvers, and related calculations for deploying forces and equipment." Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko agreed in 2023, a year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, to allow Moscow to deploy Russian tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory. Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Moscow still retains control over the use of these weapons. Minsk authorities have said that the current exercises are not targeted at any other country and do not pose a security threat to the region as a whole. Belarus borders Russia and Ukraine, as well as three NATO member states: Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia.