MINSK, May 7. /TASS/. Belarus will practice mounting nuclear warheads onto delivery platforms during a snap readiness test, Security Council State Secretary Alexander Volfovich said.
"Due to the emerging military and political situation, first of all around Belarus, we continue to improve the combat readiness of our armed forces. The most effective way is [with] snap readiness tests, which are carried out in conditions as close as possible to the real combat situation," he said during a Belarus 1 broadcast. "The snap readiness tests will involve forces and means capable of using tactical nuclear warheads, in accordance with the order of the supreme commander-in-chief," he added. According to the top security official, these are first of all "Iskander-M tactical missile systems and Su-25 attack aircraft."
Volfovich pointed out that this snap readiness test "was planned against the backdrop of the actions of Russian colleagues on the use of non-strategic nuclear warheads, and is fully coordinated with them." According to him, the Belarusian military's capabilities will be tested in the field of "delivery of warheads to military units, their mounting on launchers and their attachment to Su-25 jets."
"Iskander tactical missile systems and Polonez operational-tactical complexes will be secretly withdrawn to designated positions where Belarusian servicemen will deal with issues of preparing, planning and using the special munitions," Volfovich said, pointing out that air military units will head to their bases and prepare Su-25 attack aircraft, also to use these special munitions.
"The main result of this snap readiness test should be practical confirmation of our servicemen's skills in the use of this type of weapon," he said. According to Volfovich, these activities are "exclusively defensive in nature and do not project threats to any country." "In the future, the holding of combat readiness tests <...> will continue," the top Belarusian security official emphasized.