Belarus Tests Readiness of Nuclear Forces After Russia Announced Drills

Belarus announced on Tuesday that its military was conducting a drill on the readiness of its forces to use tactical nuclear weapons, which Russia recently deployed to the country.

The announcement came a day after Moscow said it would launch drills simulating the use of tactical nuclear weapons in response to provocations from the West, including comments from French President Emmanuel Macron about the possibility of sending ground troops to Ukraine.

Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said President Alexander Lukashenko ordered a “snap readiness test of forces and capabilities of delivery vehicles for non-strategic nuclear weapons.”