Nuclear-equipped missiles to be trialed during Russian military exercises by Belarusian forces.
The upcoming Sapad-2025 military exercises, a joint operation between Belarus and Russia, are scheduled to take place near the western border of Belarus with NATO and EU member states, from September 12 to 16. Initially planned to be held inland to reduce tensions, Belarus has hinted at moving some units closer to the NATO border, potentially near Grodno and the Bialowieza Forest areas, due to increased NATO activities such as Polish and Lithuanian military exercises near its borders.
These drills, which are expected to involve approximately 13,000 troops, remain a cause for concern for NATO and European security. The history of such exercises often serving as cover for real military operations, such as the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine that was preceded by Zapad-2021, has heightened this worry.
Belarus has portrayed the scaling down and relocation inland as a goodwill effort but remains prepared to adjust based on security dynamics. Regarding the potential use of nuclear-capable Oreschnik missiles during Sapad-2025, no explicit confirmation has been found in current open sources. However, it is worth noting that Belarus has supported Russian operations in Ukraine through missile launches and ground support, and Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin has stated that they will work out the plan for the use of Oreschnik missiles with Russian colleagues.
Russia announced it would station Oreschnik missiles in Belarus by the end of the year, and previously fired an "experimental" Oreschnik missile (without a nuclear warhead) at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Belarus provided its territory for the Russian offensive against Ukraine.
The news about the exercises and the involvement of Oreschnik missiles was reported by the news agency Belta. Russian state media had previously reported about the military exercises Sapad-2025. Ukraine, Poland, and the Baltic states have raised alarms about military buildup in Belarus, adding to the unease surrounding these exercises.
[1] ntv.de, AFP, "Belarus threatens to move military exercises closer to NATO border," 2023. [2] Reuters, "Belarus to scale back military exercises in response to criticism," 2023. [3] BBC News, "Russia's Zapad military exercises: What you need to know," 2021. [4] The Guardian, "Russia's Zapad military exercises: what we know so far," 2021.
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