Joint nuclear exercises demonstrate russia's deepening control over Belarus - ISW

On May 21, russia and Belarus concluded joint nuclear exercises, demonstrating russia’s ability to use Belarus for future military operations, as well as its deepening de facto control over the country.

This is stated in a report by the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

"The exercises with Russian nuclear weapons deployed on Belarusian territory highlight the extent to which Russia has absorbed Belarus under its de facto control," the Institute’s analysts note.

It is noted that previously, the Belarusian Constitution declared the country a non-nuclear state, but in 2022, Belarus amended its constitution to renounce the country’s neutrality and non-nuclear status, likely under pressure from the kremlin and its influence on the decision-making process in Belarus.

"These exercises reflect the deterioration of Belarusian sovereignty and Russia’s expanding capacity to leverage Belarus as a springboard for its own military purposes," the ISW concludes.

Earlier, the Ministry of Defense of the aggressor state of russia stated that its troops had delivered nuclear munitions to Belarus, while Belarusian troops practiced receiving, equipping, and moving specialized munitions and launchers for the Iskander-M ballistic missile system.

It is noted that the exercises included the launch of a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from the Plesetsk State Test Cosmodrome, a Zircon hypersonic missile from the Barents Sea, a Sineva ICBM from a submerged strategic nuclear submarine, cruise missiles from Tu-95MS aircraft, a Kinzhal hypersonic missile from a MiG-31I aircraft, and an Iskander-M missile from the Kapustin Yar test range.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, the russian side previously released a video allegedly showing the loading of nuclear warheads onto the Iskander-M missile system during large-scale military exercises.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs considers the joint nuclear exercises by russia and Belarus an unprecedented challenge and has called for a strong response, including sanctions, increased support for Ukraine, and a buildup of NATO’s presence on its eastern flank.