Military exercises involving nuclear weapons begun in Belarus
Illustrative photo: CSTO exercises begin in Belarus
On August 31, military drills of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) began in Belarus, with plans to practice scenarios involving the use of nuclear weapons, according to Deutsche Welle.
Over 2,000 troops from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan are participating in the CSTO drills in Belarus. The exercises involve 450 units of weapons and equipment, including nine aircraft and helicopters, and more than 70 drones of various types.
According to the Belarusian Ministry of Defense, the training runs under three programs: Interaction-2025, Search-2025, and Echelon-2025. The drills were moved deeper into the country’s territory at the personal order of Alexander Lukashenko. Officials in Minsk explained this as an effort to avoid accusations of provocations near the western and southern borders.
First Deputy Defense Minister Major General Pavel Muraveiko stated that the maneuvers include planning for the use of nuclear weapons, though without actual nuclear tests. He emphasized that while nuclear weapons cannot be applied in practice during the drills, the focus is on rehearsing planning procedures.
The CSTO training is scheduled to conclude on September 6.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, earlier warned that from the start of the upcoming Zapad-2025 Russian-Belarusian exercises, Moscow will likely intensify information warfare and propaganda efforts. The large-scale Zapad-2025 drills are set for September 12–16 across Belarus and parts of Russia, officially described as aimed at testing "security guarantees" and the ability to "repel potential aggression."
Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi cautioned that such exercises could serve as cover for the covert build-up of offensive military groupings.
