Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has averred that he would not think twice about ordering the use of Russian tactical nuclear weapons that are set to be sent to Belarus if his country is faced with an aggression.
Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, announced the deployment of short-range nuclear weapons to Belarus, a neighbor and ally of Moscow, earlier this year. This announcement was widely interpreted as a warning to the West as it increased military backing for Ukraine.
In his defense, Putin noted that the United States has nuclear weapons stationed in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey and claimed that by deploying its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Russia was simply following its lead.
Speaking in an interview at that time, Putin declared, “We are doing what they have been doing for decades, stationing them in certain allied countries, preparing the launch platforms and training their crews. We are going to do the same thing.”
Putin has emphasized that Russia will retain control of the weapons. However, Lukashenko’s statement contradicts that.
The state news agency reported that the Belarusian leader said, “God forbid I have to make a decision to use those weapons today, but there would be no hesitation if we face an aggression.”
Lukashenko emphasized that he was the one who asked Putin to deploy Russian nuclear weapons to Belarus. He argued that the move was necessary to deter a potential aggression.
“I believe no one would be willing to fight a country that has those weapons. Those are weapons of deterrence.”
Alexander Lukashenko
Russian officials had no immediate comment on Lukashenko’s remarks.
Facilities For The Nuclear Weapons To Be Completed By July
In a meeting with Lukashenko on Friday, June 9, 2023, Putin stated that work on building facilities for the nuclear weapons will be completed by July 7-8, and they will be moved to Belarusian territory quickly after that.
Lukashenko stressed that Belarus does not need Russia’s strategic nuclear weapons to be deployed to its territory. “Am I going to fight America? No,” he said. The Belarusian leader added, however, that Belarus was readying facilities for intercontinental nuclear-tipped missiles as well, just in case.
The goal of tactical nuclear weapons is to eliminate enemy forces and equipment on the battlefield. Compared to nuclear warheads mounted on intercontinental ballistic missiles, which are capable of destroying entire cities, they have a far shorter range and a lower yield.
When they were all a part of the Soviet Union, Belarus had a sizable portion of the Soviet nuclear arsenals, along with Kazakhstan and Ukraine. After the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, these weapons were transferred to Russia as part of a U.S.-sponsored agreement.
The quantity of tactical nuclear weapons that Russia will send to Belarus was not disclosed. Russian tactical nuclear weapons are thought to number over 2,000, according to the U.S. government. These weapons include bombs that can be carried by planes, warheads for short-range missiles, and artillery rounds.
On February 24, 2022, Russia utilized the territory of Belarus to move troops into Ukraine and has continued to maintain men and weaponry there.
Lukashenko, who has been in power for 29 years, has relied on Russia’s political and economic assistance to endure months of protests, massive arrests, and Western sanctions following an election in 2020 that retained him in office but was widely perceived at home and internationally as being rigged.
