Rockets that can be equipped with nuclear focoa, at the exercises near the Eastern NATO flank. Belarus's announcement

Belarus announced on Wednesday that it will practice Oreșnik, Russia missiles capable of being equipped with nuclear focios, during Zapad-2025 joint exercises (“West-2025”) near EU and NATO border, AFP reports.

Belarus, a former Soviet republic, is a key ally of Russia and depends on the economic and military point of view on its east neighbor.

Also, the country allowed the use of its territory as a support point for the invasion launched by Russia on Ukraine in February 2022.

Ukraine, as well as Poland and Baltic states have repeatedly fired alarm signals on Belarus military accumulations, where Russia said it would run Oreșnik by the end of the year.

“Of course, we will elaborate the plan for the use of this type of armament with our Russian colleagues,” said the Minister of Defense, Viktor Khrenin, when he was asked if the Zapad exercises will also involve the use of Oreșnik missiles.

Russian forces used Oreșnik in Ukraine

At the end of 2024, Russia used the Ukrainian city of Dnipro as a testing ground for its “experimental” rocket ORESHNIK, without nuclear fossa.

“We see the situation at our western and northern borders and we cannot simply stand and look at the military and military activity there,” said Khrenin, quoted by the Belta News Agency.

The Russian state press had initially reported to take part in exercises around 13,000 soldiers, but the final number of participants has not yet been revealed.

The Zapad-2025 military exercises, scheduled for September 12-16, usually involve tens of thousands of soldiers in a demonstration of force near the western border of Belarus with EU and NATO members.

About 200,000 troops participated in the 2021 edition. The event was organized just a few months before the assault of Moscow on Ukraine.