Like déjà-vu. This Tuesday, the Russian army begins three days of nuclear exercises with the Belarusian forces, as Vladimir Putin travels to China to strengthen strategic cooperation with his neighbor Xi Jinping, a key ally whose exports support the war effort in Ukraine.
Planned since early May, the maneuvers were officially announced this morning by the Russian Ministry of Defense to train the Russian armed forces in the potential use of nuclear weapons, including those stationed in Belarus. For the past three years, Moscow has deployed tactical nuclear weapons stocks in its neighbor – an unprecedented initiative since 1991, allowed by an agreement sealed with Minsk in March 2023.
These new exercises are part of Russia’s intimidation strategy since the launch of its offensive in February 2022, which has led it to frequently brandish the specter of atomic weapons and suspend its participation in the New Start treaty in the spring of 2023, which regulates the nuclear arsenals of rival Russian and American powers.
According to the Ministry of Defense, over 65,000 military personnel will be involved in the exercises scheduled until Thursday, using also 7,800 types of equipment and weapons, including over 200 missile launchers. On Monday, Minsk clarified that this training is not directed against third countries and does not pose a threat to regional security. Three days earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had denounced Russia’s efforts to further involve Belarus in the conflict, suggesting that Moscow is considering operations in the south or north of Belarus, either in Ukraine or against one of the NATO countries.
However, the exercises conducted this week are aimed to demonstrate the military apparatus’s projection capability, not to initiate an invasion. “There’s nothing new under the sun,” observes a defense specialist. “Russia seeks to remind its neighbors that it is a major nuclear power, as the United States or even France regularly do. These exercises are routine and transparent,” continues the source. In October 2025, Vladimir Putin oversaw nuclear forces exercises, including a test launch of the Yars, an intercontinental ballistic missile.
The launches planned this week have been postponed several times,” explains Etienne Marcuz, a researcher associated with the Foundation for Strategic Research. This expert hypothesizes that this exercise aims to reaffirm Russia’s military power after the cancellation of most of the Victory Day parade on May 9th due to fears of Ukrainian strikes. Submarine training involving the Northern and Pacific fleets, as well as ballistic and cruise missile launches, are on the Kremlin’s agenda.
These three days of nuclear exercises come as Russia suffered one of the most massive drone attacks by Ukraine on Sunday, May 17, resulting in four deaths. The same week, Russian bombings killed 24 people in Kiev, prolonging the entrenchment of a conflict that no power seems able to end.
