©picture alliance / TheKremlinMoscow-SvenSimon | The Kremlin Moscow
Ukraine describes Russia and Belarus' military exercises as an "unprecedented provocation".
Russia is holding an exercise with its nuclear arsenal from Tuesday through to Thursday. The Russian Defense Ministry reported this via Telegram. More than 65,000 military personnel are participating in the exercise. The exercise includes test launches of ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.
Participating in the military exercise are 65,000 military personnel, 7,800 units of equipment and weapons, including more than 200 missile launchers. Aircraft, warships, submarines and nuclear submarines are also being used. Test launches of ballistic missiles and cruise missiles are also scheduled. The nuclear arsenal exercise would also take place in Belarus. It is still unclear, however, whether test launches will actually take place in Belarus. The Kremlin speaks of launches "on Russian soil".
Russia uses Belarus as a base of operations for its armed forces and says it has part of its nuclear arsenal stationed in Belarus. Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko announced in 2023 that he would allow Russia to place its nuclear arsenal on Belarusian territory by decree. These would be nuclear weapons intended for short range. Belarus borders Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia making the European Union particularly close for the Kremlin. Three of the neighboring countries; Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, are also NATO members.
Ukraine therefore sees the military exercise in Russia and Belarus as an unprecedented provocation. "By turning Belarus into a nuclear battleground near NATO borders, the Kremlin is de facto legitimizing the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the world and setting a precedent for other authoritarian regimes," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
©picture alliance / TheKremlinMoscow-SvenSimon | The Kremlin Moscow