MINSK — Belarus and Russia launched joint nuclear exercises on Monday, escalating tensions with NATO as Kyiv warned that Moscow is preparing a fresh offensive from Belarusian territory. The drills come amid a broader standoff over nuclear arms control, with the expiration of the New START treaty removing the last formal caps on the world's two largest nuclear arsenals.
The Belarusian defence ministry stated that the exercises would focus on “the delivery of nuclear munitions and preparation of their use in cooperation with the Russian side.” Aviation and missile forces are participating. Minsk insisted the training “is not directed against third countries and does not pose a threat to security in the region.”
Russia deployed its latest hypersonic, nuclear-capable missile, the Oreshnik, to Belarus last year, further raising the stakes in its rivalry with the Western alliance. The Kremlin has repeatedly invoked nuclear rhetoric as the war in Ukraine grinds into its fourth year, with Western military support for Kyiv intensifying.
Kyiv Sounds Alarm
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week ordered troops to reinforce the border with Belarus in the north, claiming Moscow was preparing a new offensive from there. He said Russia, which used Belarus as a staging post for its full-scale invasion in 2022, wanted to drag its ally deeper into the conflict.
“In particular, Russia is considering plans for operations in the southern and northern directions from the territory of Belarus — either against the Chernihiv-Kyiv direction in Ukraine or against one of the NATO countries — precisely from the territory of Belarus,” Zelenskyy said after a meeting with military and intelligence chiefs.
The Kremlin dismissed the allegations on Monday, calling them “an attempt at further incitement.”
Meanwhile, Russia last week tested its nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile Sarmat, months after the New START treaty expired in February, formally releasing both Moscow and Washington from a raft of restrictions. The move underscores the deteriorating state of nuclear arms control between the two powers.
The joint drills with Belarus are the latest in a series of military signals from Moscow, which has also intensified drone and missile barrages across eight Ukrainian regions. Kyiv continues to recover fallen soldiers and exchange prisoners, including a recent UAE-mediated swap of 205 prisoners each.
As the war enters its fourth year, the nuclear dimension adds a new layer of risk for Europe. Belarus, a close ally of Russia, has become a key platform for Moscow's military posturing, raising concerns in Warsaw, Vilnius, and other NATO capitals along the eastern flank.
