Belarus will practice "planning the use" of nuclear weapons and Oreshnik missiles during joint military exercises with Russia scheduled for 12-16 September, Defense Minister Viktor Krenin announced, according to Belarusian state news agency BELTA.
"We will, of course, within the framework of the West-2025 exercise, together with our Russian colleagues, work out issues of planning the use of this type of weapons," Krenin said when asked whether the drills would include planning for nuclear weapons and the Oreshnik missile system.
The Belarusian defense chief emphasized that "nuclear weapons are capable of inflicting unacceptable damage on potential adversaries" while describing them primarily as "an important element of strategic deterrence."
Krenin repeated Russian narratives about the alleged "militarization" and "military activity" of the West along Belarus's western and northern borders. He warned that NATO leadership was supposedly using West-2025 as a pretext for conducting their own exercises and threatened a "response."
"What worries us most is the decision of the Polish military leadership to create a grouping of more than 30-34 thousand servicemen. In our opinion, this is already a serious grouping. We need to monitor this very carefully (and we will do this) and react. If they show any aggression towards the Republic of Belarus, we have something to respond with," the minister expressed particular concern about Polish military plans.
Historical Context
Russia accumulated military forces in Belarus before its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, officially citing joint exercises as justification. In February 2022, Russian forces attacked Ukraine from Belarusian territory and subsequently launched ballistic missiles at Ukrainian targets from Belarus.
In December 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Oreshnik systems could be deployed in Belarus in 2025, using the weapon system to pressure the West after Ukraine received permission for long-range strikes against Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded that Putin was "waving the Oreshnik" to prevent US President Donald Trump from ending the Russian-Ukrainian war. Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi announced Ukraine was developing its own air defense system and missile system as a deterrent against Oreshnik strikes.
Belarusian President Aliaksandr Lukashenka has made contradictory statements about receiving the Oreshnik system, claiming in January 2025 that Belarus would receive it "any day," then acknowledging in March that the promised weapons had not arrived. In July, Lukashenka stated the Oreshnik would allegedly be deployed in Belarus by year's end.
