Moscow and Minsk Rehearse Nuclear Weapons Launch in Zapad-2025 Drills – 16 September 2025

Moscow and Minsk Rehearse Nuclear Weapons Launch in Zapad-2025 Drills

On 16 September 2025, Russia and Belarus confirmed that their joint Zapad-2025 military exercises included a rehearsal for launching tactical nuclear weapons—an unprecedented step that has raised fresh alarms across Europe and within NATO. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced the nuclear component in Minsk, and the Russian Defense Ministry later echoed the statement, underscoring the growing military integration between the two allies.

According to state media and independent defense analysts, the exercise simulated deployment and launch of short-range nuclear-capable systems, including Russia’s new Oreshnik hypersonic missile and strategic bombers certified to carry nuclear payloads. Tactical nuclear weapons are designed for battlefield use with lower yields than intercontinental warheads, yet their destructive power remains immense. The Zapad-2025 drills ran from 12 to 16 September, involving an estimated 13,000 troops from both nations, though Western intelligence sources believe total participation may be higher.

President Lukashenko insisted the maneuvers were purely defensive and intended to protect against “external aggression,” while Russia framed the nuclear rehearsal as a response to NATO’s “escalatory posture” near its borders. The open inclusion of a nuclear launch scenario, however, marks a significant escalation compared with earlier joint exercises. The Oreshnik missile, which Moscow has hinted could be stationed permanently in Belarus, reportedly has a range exceeding 2,000 kilometers, placing much of Europe within reach.

NATO reacted swiftly. Secretary-General Mark Rutte convened an emergency North Atlantic Council meeting, and officials in Poland and the Baltic states described the exercise as “provocative and destabilizing,” announcing enhanced air-defense readiness and expanded border surveillance. The United States called the nuclear rehearsal “reckless,” while Germany and France urged Russia and Belarus to resume arms-control talks and provide full transparency about nuclear deployments on Belarusian soil.

Although no live warheads were moved or armed during the drill, the political message was unmistakable. Analysts at the International Institute for Strategic Studies warn that repeated nuclear signaling lowers the threshold for nuclear use and increases the risk of miscalculation in a crisis. With the ongoing war in Ukraine and NATO’s continued support for Kyiv, the Zapad-2025 exercise demonstrates that the specter of nuclear weapons—often seen as a Cold War relic—remains central to twenty-first-century geopolitics.