2024-05-07 17:48:40
Belarus is beginning a test of its military’s readiness to use tactical nuclear weapons, which will be carried out in sync with exercises of Russia’s nuclear forces, Reuters reported, citing Belarusian state media.
State news agency BelTA quoted Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin as saying that President Alexander Lukashenko had ordered a surprise inspection of the forces responsible for such weapons.
During the inspection, “the entire spectrum of activities from the planning, preparation and use of tactical nuclear weapon strikes” will be examined, he said.
The Iskander missile division and a squadron of Su-25 fighters will take part in the combat readiness check, he added.
Tactical nuclear weapons are designed for use on the battlefield, unlike strategic warheads designed to destroy entire enemy cities, BTA reported.
Russia announced yesterday that it will conduct a military exercise to deploy tactical nuclear weapons because, it said, it feels threatened by the policies of France, Britain and the United States.
A spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence said that Kiev saw nothing new in the exercise, as “nuclear blackmail is a constant practice of the Putin regime,” noted Reuters.