His remarks were cited by Belta.Khrenin described rehearsing nuclear weapons use planning and “Oreshnik” as “an important element of strategic deterrence.”“As the head of state requires, we must be ready for anything. We see the situation on our western and northern borders and cannot calmly watch the militarization and military activity. We show openness and peacefulness, but gunpowder must always be kept dry,” he said.The Belarusian minister stressed that nuclear weapons can inflict unacceptable damage on potential adversaries. According to Khrenin, NATO countries are trying to use “Zapad-2025” for their own military drills.“What raises the greatest concern is the decision by the Polish military leadership to form a grouping of more than 30–34 thousand troops. This is already a serious force, in our assessment. We must watch very closely (and that is what we will be doing) and respond. If they show any aggression toward the Republic of Belarus, we have the means to respond,” he added.What is known about Zapad-2025On October 23, 2024, the Belarusian Ministry of Defense announced joint exercises with Russia called Zapad-2025. They are scheduled for mid-September 2025.Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys stated that NATO is ready to respond to the joint Russian-Belarusian exercises.President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Russians are “preparing something” in Belarus in the summer under the cover of military exercises.It was later reported that during the joint Zapad-2025 exercises, Russia and Belarus plan to conduct test strikes with tactical nuclear weapons and the Oreshnik system.On May 28, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin announced that Belarus would move the main maneuvers of the planned Zapad-2025 exercises deeper into the country, allegedly to reduce tensions.On August 6, the first train with Russian troops and equipment arrived in Belarus for the preparation and participation in the Zapad-2025 joint military exercises.On August 11, several hundred Russian soldiers had arrived in Belarus for the Zapad-2025 exercises. Several dozen units of Russian equipment were also sent there.