Putin's unannounced visit to Belarus: Nuclear exercises on the agenda

The Kremlin reported that Vladimir Putin will be in Belarus on Thursday and Friday. For two days, the dictator is scheduled to debate with the self-proclaimed president of the country, Alexander Lukashenko.

Putin's trip to Minsk was a sudden plan implemented by Moscow. The Kremlin provided information about the high-level meeting at the last minute.

According to Reuters, Russia and Belarus—allying states operating within a military union, are set to conduct exercises this month simulating preparations for the launch of tactical nuclear weapons. This is another tightening of ties between the two Eastern dictatorships.

Reuters reminds us that Belarus offered significant logistical support to Russia during the conflict with Ukraine. This support has been substantial since the invasion of Kyiv began. Although the Belarusian army did not provide military forces to Putin's army, Russian troops entered Ukraine from Belarusian territory in the early days of the offensive in February 2022.

Belarusian state news agency BelTA reported on Thursday that Lukashenko appointed Pavel Muraveyko as the new Chief of General Staff of the Belarusian army. Muraveyko previously served as the first deputy state secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Belarus.

"Nuclear rehearsals" of both countries have long been a fact. Last year, Alexander Lukashenko confirmed that the Russian Federation sent nuclear weapons from its stockpiles to Belarus. Recently, U.S. military experts revealed that from satellite images taken over the Belarus-Ukraine border, an army base in the vicinity of the Mogilev region has been expanded. Its structure, as seen from above, indicates that the facility is used to store nuclear warheads.

Source: Reuters