Russian and Belarusian military exercises next month to involve Oreshnik hypersonic missile
Joint exercises to be held by the Russian and Belarusian armies next month will include drills on the planned use of nuclear weapons and the Russian-made, intermediate-range hypersonic Oreshnik missile, Belarus' defence minister said on Wednesday.
The comments by Viktor Khrenin come just two days before U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet in Alaska to discuss a possible deal to end the full-scale war in Ukraine, which Moscow launched in part from Belarusian territory in February 2022.
Khrenin told journalists in Minsk that the Belarusians would work with their Russian counterparts on how to use the Oreshnik, as well as nuclear weapons, during the military exercises, to be held in Belarus from September 12-16.
"This is an important element of our strategic deterrence. As the head of state demands, we must be prepared for anything," Khrenin was quoted as saying by Belta, a Belarusian state news agency.
"We see the situation on our western and northern borders and cannot calmly watch the militarisation and military activity. We demonstrate our openness and peacefulness, but we must always keep our powder dry."
Belarus borders Poland, Lithuania and Latvia - all NATO members - to the west and north, while in the south it borders Ukraine.
Putin said this month that the Oreshnik (Hazel Tree) had gone into serial production and had been delivered to the armed forces. Moscow first used the weapon against Ukraine last November, targeting the city of Dnipro.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore 2 dead after fire in Jalan Bukit Merah flat, about 60 evacuated
Singapore ST Explains: How the SAF's drone push for recruits reflects new battlefield realities
Singapore HSA seeks Kpod investigators to arrest abusers, conduct anti-trafficking ops
Opinion The 30s are heavy: Understanding suicide among Singapore's young adults
Singapore Lawyer who sent misleading letters to 22 doctors fails in bid to quash $18,000 penalty
Singapore Jail, caning for recalcitrant drug offender who assaulted 2 cops with stun device
Singapore 4 taken to hospital after accident near Sports Hub, including 2 rescued with hydraulic tools
Singapore SG60: Many hands behind Singapore's success story
The Kremlin said last week it would no longer place any limits on where it deploys intermediate-range missiles that can carry nuclear warheads, after lifting a moratorium on deployment of such weapons in what it cast as a forced response to moves by the West.
The scheduled drills, called "Zapad-2025" (West-2025), have raised security concerns in neighbouring Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. President Alexander Lukashenko has dismissed the idea that Minsk would utilise the exercises to attack its neighbours as "complete nonsense."
Belarusian defence officials have pointed to upcoming joint NATO drills in Poland, involving at least 34,000 troops, as evidence of growing militarisation along Belarus' borders.
"We need to watch them very closely (which is what we will be doing) and respond accordingly," Khrenin said on Wednesday, referring to the NATO drills.
"If they show any aggression toward the Republic of Belarus, we have the means to respond." REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
a minute ago
- Straits Times
Zelensky says Russia continues attacking Ukraine ahead of summit
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A Russian drone caused a fire in the city of Sumy (left), while a ballistic missile killed one person in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region. KYIV - President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug 15 Russia was continuing to attack Ukraine ahead of a summit in Alaska between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, but its attempt to 'show strength' with a new assault in the east had failed. 'On the day of the negotiations, they also kill people. And that says a lot,' Mr Zelensky said on the Telegram messaging app. 'The war continues. It continues precisely because there is no order, nor any indication that Moscow is preparing to end this war,' he added. Earlier, Ukrainian regional officials said Russia had launched a ballistic missile into Dnipropetrovsk region in eastern Ukraine, killing one person and wounding at least one other, while a drone damaged civilian infrastructure and caused a fire in Sumy region in the north-east. The city of Dnipro is a logistics hub for Ukrainian forces, and the Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy regions border the combat zone and are regularly shelled by Russian forces. Ukraine said this week that small groups of Russian infantry had thrust some 10 kilometres towards the main defensive line near the eastern town of Dobropillia, raising fears of a wider breakthrough that would further threaten key cities. However, officials said on Aug 14 that Ukrainian troops had managed to stabilise the battlefield in the area. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Ong Beng Seng fined $30k in case linked to ex-minister Iswaran after judge cites judicial mercy Singapore Why was Ong Beng Seng fined instead of jailed? Key points from the case Singapore ICA to review Ong Beng Seng's PR status after he is fined for abetting obstruction of justice Singapore Drug trafficker gets death sentence commuted after President Tharman grants clemency Asia Former China envoy to Singapore Sun Haiyan reappears after reported questioning Life Founder of Singapore Symphony Orchestra Choo Hoey dies Singapore Hawkers at Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre will not need to provide free meals under new contracts Commenting on the matter on Aug 15, Mr Zelensky said: 'The Russian intention was to show strength ahead of Alaska but in fact, for the occupiers, this is ending with their destruction.' REUTERS
Straits Times
a minute ago
- Straits Times
Portugal protests expulsion of reporters from Guinea-Bissau before election
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox LISBON - Portugal's government on Friday condemned the expulsion of reporting teams of state news agency Lusa and two African units of broadcaster RTP from Guinea-Bissau in the run-up to a postponed election scheduled to be held in November in the West African country. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement it had "immediately summoned the ambassador of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau in Lisbon for explanations and clarifications" for a meeting that will take place on Saturday. "The Portuguese government strongly condemns the decision of the government of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau to order the removal of Lusa, RTP Africa, and RDP Africa from that country and their respective termination of broadcasts," it said, calling the move "highly reprehensible and unjustifiable". No explanations for the move were provided by either Guinea-Bissau, which announced the expulsion in a government decree earlier on Friday, or Portugal. The representatives of the media outlets have until August 19 to leave the country. Guinea-Bissau's President Umaro Sissoco Embalo said in March he would run for a second term, backtracking on earlier promises to step down and stoking tensions over postponed elections, with his opponents saying that his term expired in February. A dispute over when Embalo's presidential term, which began in 2020, should end has heightened tensions that risk unrest in the former Portuguese colony with a history of military coups. On August 7, Embalo, a former army general, appointed by decree a new prime minister, Braima Camara - the third premier since Embalo took office in 2020 - replacing Rui Duarte de Barros. In March, a political mission of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), deployed to help reach a consensus on how to conduct the election, said it had to leave "following threats by H.E. Umaro Sissoco Embalo to expel it". The presidential and legislative elections are scheduled to be held on November 23. REUTERS
Straits Times
32 minutes ago
- Straits Times
US aid cuts to Ukraine raise risk of waste and fraud, say watchdogs
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: A 3D-printed miniature model of U.S. President Donald Trump with the USAID logo in the background is seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo WASHINGTON - USAID is concerned that the Trump administration's cancellation of independent aid monitoring contracts for Ukraine has increased the risk of waste, fraud and abuse, according to three U.S. watchdog agencies. "The termination of third-party monitoring contracts has further limited USAID's ability to oversee programs," the State Department, Pentagon and USAID inspectors general said in a report issued on Thursday. The U.S. Agency for International Development was the main U.S. agency that administered civilian foreign aid for more than 60 years. It is being dismantled by the Trump administration and is scheduled to be closed on September 2. The three inspectors general submit quarterly reports to Congress on their oversight of U.S. civilian support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia's full-scale invasion launched in February 2022. In January, President Donald Trump froze all U.S. foreign assistance programs pending a review of their alignment with his "America First" policies, and ordered the dismantling of USAID, which stopped disbursing funds in July. As part of this decision, billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency oversaw the termination of 83 percent of USAID programs, including some that supported Ukraine. The watchdogs' report said that USAID managed $30.2 billion in direct support for the Ukrainian government's budget, and provided a guarantee that secured a $20 billion loan for Kyiv. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Ong Beng Seng fined $30k in case linked to ex-minister Iswaran after judge cites judicial mercy Singapore Why was Ong Beng Seng fined instead of jailed? Key points from the case Singapore ICA to review Ong Beng Seng's PR status after he is fined for abetting obstruction of justice Singapore Drug trafficker gets death sentence commuted after President Tharman grants clemency Asia Former China envoy to Singapore Sun Haiyan reappears after reported questioning Life Founder of Singapore Symphony Orchestra Choo Hoey dies Singapore Hawkers at Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre will not need to provide free meals under new contracts It said that in the three months ending June 31, 25 civilian aid programs for Ukraine were terminated, while 29 active programs, five under stop-work orders and four of unknown status were transferred to the State Department. The terminated programs included contracts with third parties that provided independent tracking of USAID funds to ensure that they were spent as intended and that helped "inform both current and future decision-making," it said. "USAID said that without independent monitoring, it cannot verify that programs are being implemented in line with award terms, increasing the risk of waste, fraud and abuse," the report said. This is especially true in conflict-affected areas "where there is a heightened potential for diversion of funds," it warned. REUTERS
