The announcement came a day after Russia said it was holding nuclear drills involving troops based near Ukraine, which borders Belarus.

"A check of the combat readiness of the forces and means of the nuclear weapons of the Belarusian army has begun," the Belarusian Defense Ministry said in a statement cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Russia announced in the summer of 2023 that it had deployed nuclear-capable Iskander missiles to Belarus, one of the few countries that has backed Moscow in its ongoing war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022.

Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said on social media that the surprise inspection of non-strategic nuclear weapons had been ordered by the armed forces' commander-in-chief, President Alexander Lukashenko.

"The inspection will be held in strict accordance with the deadlines set by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief," the state-run Belta news agency cited Khrenin as saying.

The minister added that "the entire complex of measures for planning, preparing and using tactical nuclear weapons will be checked."

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the country's military to conduct drills involving tactical nuclear weapons "in the near future," citing threats from the West.

The missile exercises, which will involve the air force and navy, will be held by forces in the Southern Military District, which borders Ukraine, according to EFE.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that the drills were a response to statements by French President Emmanuel Macron and senior British officials.

"They talked about the readiness and even the intention to send military contingents to Ukraine, that is, to put NATO troops face to face with the Russian military," Peskov said.

Putin's spokesman called this "a new spiral of escalating tensions" between the West and Russia.

"It is unprecedented and requires special attention and special measures," he added.

Read Also: Number of refugees reaches 35 million in 2022, the highest increase ever (Portuguese version)