Belarus says Russia-Belarus nuclear drills signal readiness to defend Union State

Belarusian Security Council State Secretary Alexander Volfovich said the recent Russian-Belarusian nuclear drills demonstrated that the two countries can deploy nuclear weapons and are prepared to defend the Union State with all available means. Speaking to TASS, he said the exercise showed Western countries that Belarus has nuclear weapons and an Oreshnik system on its territory, and that the two allies are ready to use them if necessary.

Volfovich said the drills attracted particular attention because they were overseen by the heads of state. He stressed that Minsk and Moscow do not threaten anyone, echoing statements previously made by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He also linked the exercise to what he described as a military buildup in Poland and the Baltic states, citing Poland’s plan to expand its armed forces to 300,000 personnel. In his view, such developments underscore Belarus’s need to rely on these weapons for defense, though he said he hoped they would never be used and referred to the lessons of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Belarusian and Russian defense authorities said the drills took place in May 2026. Belarus’s Defense Ministry said on May 18 that military units had begun training in the combat use of nuclear weapons and nuclear support, involving missile forces and aircraft. Russia’s Defense Ministry later said that from May 19 to 21, 2026, Russian forces held an exercise focused on preparing and using nuclear forces in the event of an aggression threat, including delivery of ammunition to field positions of a missile brigade in Belarus.