Belarus will join Russia at the second stage of a “tactical nuclear exercise” which comes as Vladimir Putin has been ramping up threats towards NATO.
Today marks Russia’s “Victory Day” to celebrate the defeat of Nazi Germany of World War II where Putin issued a message to the West.
Putin said, “Today on Victory Day we are conscious of that even more acutely.”
He then warned, “Our strategic forces are always combat ready.
“The Victory Day unites all generations.”
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He then accused the West of “fueling regional conflicts, inter-ethnic and inter-religious strife and trying to contain sovereign and independent centers of global development.”
The Russian President said, “Since non-strategic nuclear weapons are located on the territory of Belarus, this time we invited our friends and allies, and the President of Belarus also asked, to take part in one of the stages of this exercise.”
Russian state news agency RIA Novosti said on Telegram, “Belarus will join Russia in the second stage of exercises to test the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons.
“This time they are carried out in three stages. At the second stage, Belarusian colleagues will join our joint actions; corresponding instructions have been given to the Ministries of Defense and General Staffs.”
Last week Putin ordered the Ministry of Defence to start exercises of non-strategic nuclear weapons in response to “Western aggression.”
The Russian Ministry of Defence said the nuclear weapons test are “in response to provocative statements and threats by individual Western officials against the Russian Federation.”
This comes after the British Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron gave Ukraine permission to use UK weapons inside Russia.
The French President Emmanuel Macron has said that he will not exclude sending French troops into Ukraine if Russia breaks through the frontlines.
The Kremlin has said that this is dangerous and is “escalating tensions” between Moscow and NATO which is “unprecedented and requires special measures.”
Russian media quoted the MoD, saying, “On instructions from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, in order to increase the readiness of non-strategic nuclear forces to carry out combat missions, the General Staff has begun preparations for holding exercises in the near future with missile formations of the Southern Military District with the involvement of aviation, as well as naval forces.”
