MINSK, May 7. /TASS/. Belarusian forces are set to rehearse efforts to plan and deliver tactical nuclear strikes as part of a snap readiness test that just got underway, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said.
An order was received on Tuesday from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who is the country’s commander-in-chief to conduct "a snap readiness test of forces and capabilities of delivery vehicles for non-strategic nuclear weapons," the ministry quoted Khrenin as saying in a statement.
An Iskander missile system battalion and a squadron of Su-25 airplanes are being brought to readiness to perform planned missions. Khrenin said the effort "will test the whole range of activities ranging from planning to preparation to delivery of strikes with tactical nuclear munitions."
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on March 25, 2023 that Moscow would deploy its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus at Minsk's request, similar to how the US has long done on the territory of its allies. Moscow has given Minsk the nuclear-capable Iskander missile system and has assisted in retrofitting Belarusian aircraft to enable them to carry nuclear munitions. Belarusian missile crews and pilots have received appropriate training in Russia. In June 2023, Putin said the first Russian nuclear charges had been delivered to Belarus, and the remainder of the shipment would arrive by the end of 2023. In late April 2024, Lukashenko said that Russia had deployed several dozen nuclear munitions in Belarus.
The updated Belarusian military doctrine, which was adopted by the All-Belarusian People's Assembly in April, states that Minsk's ability to prevent military danger relies, among other things, on the support of its allies, primarily Russia. The deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in the country is seen as an important component of deterrence against potential adversaries.