Russian-led CSTO starts drills in Belarus with nuclear planning practice
Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) military exercises began in Belarus on Aug. 31, with participants set to practice nuclear weapons planning, Russian state-run media outlet Ria Novosti reported.
Belarusian General Staff chief Pavel Muraveiko said the drills were moved deeper into Belarus "to avoid being accused of various kinds of insinuations and possible provocations" near NATO borders.
More than 2,000 troops from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan are taking part, with 450 units of equipment, nine aircraft, and over 70 drones involved.
Moscow has repeatedly issued nuclear threats against Ukraine and its allies throughout the full-scale war. Muraveiko said the drills would focus solely on planning scenarios for potential nuclear use, without involving actual deployment.
"You can't use something that poses a threat to the whole world, to universal security," he said.
Belarus, a key ally of Moscow, signed an agreement with Russia in May 2023 allowing the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons on its territory.
Ukrainian intelligence has claimed Belarus fields only delivery systems, not nuclear warheads, and dismissed Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko's assertions that Minsk would acquire Russia's new Oreshnik intermediate-range missile system.
The CSTO, formed in 2002 as Moscow's answer to NATO, brings together several post-Soviet states but has faced criticism for its reliance on Russia and limited effectiveness.
The drills come ahead of large-scale Zapad-2025 Russian-Belarusian exercises expected in September, which Belarusian officials have said will also include nuclear deployment planning.
