Russia and Belarus this Thursday signed an agreement formalizing procedures for sending and installing tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory, while preserving, however, gun control in Moscow.
In March, Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated that he already agreed with his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, on Moscow’s intention to deploy low-yield, short-range tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
The signing of the agreement comes as Russia prepares for a long-awaited counter-offensive from Ukraine.
Both Russian and Belarusian officials view the measure as motivated by Western hostility.
“The installation of non-strategic nuclear weapons is an effective response to the aggressive policies of enemy countries,” Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said in Minsk. during a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu.
“Against the background of an extremely sharp escalation of threats on the western borders of Russia and Belarus, it was decided to take countermeasures in the military-nuclear field,” Shoigu added.
The Belarusian Ministry of Defense stated that the agreement referred to Belarus’ “special storage facility in the territory”.
There are no details on when the weapons will be installed in Belarus, but Putin has already indicated that the construction of storage facilities for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus will be completed on July 1.
The decision has already been criticized by the leader of the Belarusian opposition in exile, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.
“We must do everything we can to stop Putin’s plan to install nuclear weapons in Belarus, as this will guarantee Russian control over Belarus for years to come,” Tikhanovskaya told the Associated Press news agency (AP).
“This will further jeopardize the security of Ukraine and all of Europe,” he added.
Aliaksandr Alesin, an independent Belarusian military analyst, said about two-thirds of Russia’s medium-range nuclear missile arsenal was kept in Belarus during the Cold War. the weapon in question.
Soviet nuclear weapons stationed in Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan were transferred to Russia through a US-brokered agreement after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.
However, the storage locations remain intact.
“The documents signed in Minsk on the return of nuclear weapons to Belarus were defiantly signed at the very moment when Ukraine announced a counter-offensive and Western countries handed over weapons to Kiev,” Alesin told AP.
“This Belarusian nuclear balcony should spoil the mood for politicians in the West, as nuclear missiles could cover Ukraine, all of Poland, the Baltic States and parts of Germany,” Alesin stressed.
The head of Belarusian diplomacy also announced plans to “increase the combat potential of the regional grouping of Russian and Belarusian troops”, including the transfer to Minsk of the Iskander-M missile system, which can carry a nuclear payload , and of the S-400 anti-aircraft gun missile system.
Russia and Belarus have an alliance agreement under which the Kremlin subsidizes the Belarusian economy through loans and rebates on Russian oil and gas.
Russia used Belarusian territory as a starting point for its invasion of neighboring Ukraine and has a contingent of troops and weapons in the country.
The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24 last year, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since World War II (1939-1945).
Source: DN
