The Russian Federation may use nuclear weapons during West-2017 Russian-Belarusian military drills. Antoni Macierewicz, the Minister of National Defence of Poland, said that in his interview to TVP TV channel.
“The exercises will last (after September 20th, the announced end date of the drills – ed.), this time with the use of nuclear weapons, which was not included in their program,” said Macierewicz.
According to him, the military doctrine of the Russian Federation provides for the possibility of a preemptive strike over the alleged enemy.
Macierewicz, stressed that the West-2017 are the most aggressive and multi-functional of all exercises in Russia over the past 30 years.
As we reported earlier, week-long military exercises West-2017 with the participation of Belarusian and Russian troops started on September 14 in Belarus near the border with Ukraine and Poland. Ukraine and member countries of the NATO’s eastern flank are concerned about West-2017.
Belarus insists there are 12,700 soldiers participating in drills. However according to the National Defense Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov, the real number of participants of all activities in the framework of the West-2017 is estimated at 230-240 thousand people, more than 10 thousand units of military equipment, about 100 aircraft and 40 ships/submarines of various classes.
