At the wargames, Russia and Belarus also rehearsed the launch of Russian tactical nuclear weapons as part of joint military exercises, which also featured the Oreshnik hypersonic missile that Moscow test-fired last year in the war with Ukraine. In a statement, the Belarusian Ministry of Defence confirmed that the use of tactical nuclear weapons had been rehearsed along with the deployment of Russia’s hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile that Moscow fired at Ukraine for the first time on November 21 last year. Still, India’s participation, led by a battalion of the highly respected Kumaon Regiment and aimed at strengthening “the spirit of cooperation and mutual trust” with Russia, will have raised eyebrows amid signs that the US may be losing a key ally in Asia, seen as an important counterweight to China.
Author: Al Jazeera
Published at: 2025-09-16 21:45:26
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