MOSCOW: Belarus will conduct deployment exercises for Russia’s nuclear-capable Oreshnik missiles during the joint Zapad-2025 military drills near the eastern borders of the EU and NATO.
The former Soviet republic remains a crucial ally of Russia, relying heavily on its eastern neighbour for both economic and military support.
Belarus previously allowed Russian forces to use its territory as a launchpad for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine, Poland, and Baltic states have repeatedly raised concerns over increasing military activity in Belarus, where Russia plans to station Oreshnik missiles by year-end.
“Of course, we will work out the plan for using this type of weaponry together with our Russian colleagues,” said Belarusian Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin when asked if the drills would involve Oreshnik missiles.
Russia tested its experimental Oreshnik missile without a nuclear warhead in Ukraine’s Dnipro city in late 2024.
“We see the situation on our western and northern borders and can’t just sit and watch the militarisation and military activity there,” Khrenin told the Belta news agency.
Initial reports from Russian state media indicated around 13,000 soldiers would participate, though final numbers remain undisclosed.
The Zapad-2025 exercises, scheduled for 12-16 September, typically involve tens of thousands of troops demonstrating military strength near Belarus’s border with EU and NATO states.
Approximately 200,000 troops took part in the 2021 edition, held months before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. – AFP
