Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko participated via video link in joint nuclear force drills. The exercises, held from Tuesday to Thursday (March 17-21), were broadcast live on the Kremlin website. This marked the first time the two leaders directly attended such drills; previously, top military officials, including defense ministers from both countries, conducted similar quarterly exercises, according to TASS news agency.
Speaking at the meeting, Putin emphasized that the use of nuclear weapons remains “an extreme and exceptional measure to ensure national security” for both nations. “Today, as part of the exercises, we are conducting the first joint training between the Russian and Belarusian armies on managing strategic and tactical nuclear forces,” he said.
The Russian leader stated that the Russia-Belarus nuclear triad—nuclear weapons deployable on land, sea, and air—must continue to serve as “a reliable guarantor of the sovereignty of the Union State of Russia and Belarus” amid rising global tensions and emerging threats. He said the drills aim to practice coordination and interaction among military officials in the event of nuclear weapon use, including weapons deployed on Belarusian territory.
President Lukashenko affirmed that the joint exercises are part of regular military coordination between the two countries. “We absolutely do not threaten anyone. But we have such weapons, and we are ready by any means to defend our common homeland from Brest to Vladivostok,” he said. The Belarusian leader stressed the exercises are defensive and represent “a unique demonstration on our part,” adding that countries possessing such capabilities “must know how to use them.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces launched Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles and Zircon hypersonic missiles as part of the missile tests during the nuclear drills. Crews aboard a nuclear-powered submarine fired a Sineva intercontinental ballistic missile from a submerged position. Russia also conducted a Yars ICBM launch from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome to a test range in the Kamchatka region. In Belarus, an operational team of the Belarusian armed forces conducted a live launch of a ballistic missile from an Iskander-M missile system at the Kapustin Yar test range. The drills also involved Tu-95MS strategic bombers launching air-launched hypersonic cruise missiles and MiG-31 aircraft firing Kinzhal hypersonic missiles.
The joint exercises drew concern from Ukraine and NATO allies. Ukraine has repeatedly accused Moscow of planning a new offensive from Belarus targeting Ukrainian territory or one of its NATO allies, such as neighboring Baltic states. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said its units and the military “are implementing a comprehensive series of enhanced security measures in the northern regions” bordering Belarus. The measures—including increased checks of individuals and property—“will serve as an effective deterrent against any aggressive actions or operations by the enemy and its allies,” the SBU stated.
On the same day, a Ukrainian drone attack on a town in Russia’s Bryansk region killed three railway workers when a drone struck a train locomotive at a station, according to the state-owned Russian Railways (RZhD). Russian border towns and villages regularly face Ukrainian fire as Moscow’s assault on Ukraine enters its fifth year. Earlier this week, Ukraine launched one of the war’s largest drone barrages at Moscow, killing at least five people, according to Russian officials.
NATO foreign ministers are scheduled to meet in Helsingborg, Sweden, on Thursday and Friday to discuss how to ensure support for Ukraine remains substantial and sustainable over the long term.
