The Belarusian army says it is testing its tactical nuclear weapons launchers.

The Belarusian army said on Tuesday it had begun exercises to test the “readiness” of its tactical nuclear weapons launchers, a day after its Russian ally announced nuclear drills involving troops based near Ukraine in particular.

Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Alexander Volfovich, quoted by the official Belta news agency, stressed that these exercises are related to the Russian statement and will be “synchronized” with Moscow. According to the official, it will involve “primarily” Iskander complexes and Su-25 aircraft from the Belarusian side.

In the summer of 2023, Russia deployed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, its closest ally and neighboring EU country. Weapons that remain under Russian control. “The Armed Forces have begun checking the readiness of forces and launchers of tactical nuclear weapons,” the Belarusian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

“As part of this event, part of the aviation forces and assets is being transferred to a reserve airfield,” emphasized General Viktor Gulevich, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Belarus, as quoted in the message. “Once this redeployment is completed, we will address issues related to preparing for the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons,” he continued.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko later said that the Iskander and Polonaise complexes would be mobilized to practice “missile strikes in order to repel a potential attack on Belarus.” In his speech, he suggested that his country should be “prepared for any eventuality,” adding that he did not believe Westerners were “crazy and going beyond the limit they themselves have drawn.”

Russia announced exercises

Russia announced tactical nuclear exercises on Monday in response to what the Kremlin says are bellicose statements from Western leaders. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered such exercises to be held “in the near future,” in particular with the participation of troops located near Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

“During the exercises, a number of activities will be carried out to practice the preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons,” he explained in a statement. This will involve the air force, navy and forces of the Southern Military District, which is located very close to Ukraine and, in particular, covers the Ukrainian regions that Moscow is supposedly annexing. However, the date and location of these exercises were not specified, as well as the number of mobilized soldiers and the exact equipment.