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Russia has begun moving tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus.
But are they already in place?
– Maybe, says Aleksandr Lukashenko.
The stakes are further raised after the announcement of the nuclear weapons pact between Belarus and Russia.
Both for the opposition in Belarus who want to overthrow the dictator Lukashenko – and for the rest of the world who support Ukraine in the war of invasion.
Putin already announced early this spring his plans to store parts of his nuclear arsenal in the Russian vassal state of Belarus.
Threatened on TV
The announcement was met with jubilation among pro-Russian groups in Belarus – and led to bizarre threats against neighboring countries on pro-regime state television.
The outburst by the TV personality and notorious warmonger Ryhor Azaronak was directed at the NATO countries Poland and Lithuania.
– How about enemies? Are you grunting? he began his tirade.
– Belarus is a nuclear weapon country!
Azaronak, seen as one of Lukashenko’s chief propagandists, threatened the countries with total annihilation if they did not stay away from Belarus’ borders.
– Warsaw will melt and Vilnius will be drowned. We will watch the sunset and see the mushroom cloud rise over the Polish marshes. This will happen.
The settlement signed
This country now formally has Russian nuclear weapons within its borders.
On Thursday, military leaders in Belarus and Russia signed the settlement.
Hours later, President Lukashenko spoke about his new assets during a press conference at an economic forum in Moscow.
– We have had to prepare storage areas and such. We’ve done all that. Therefore, the transfer of the nuclear weapons has now begun, he said according to The Guardian.
Cryptic answer
He then gave a cryptic answer to the question of whether the nuclear weapons had already arrived in Belarus.
– Maybe, said Lukashenko.
– I’ll go and look for it.
It is the first time Russia has deployed tactical nuclear weapons on foreign soil since 1991.
According to the Kremlin, the decision has been provoked by the Western powers’ support for Ukraine in the war.
Russia has stated that it will continue to have control over the weapons stored in Belarus.
They can be fired from Iskander robots or from Su-25 fighter jets – both of which are in Belarus’ arsenal, The Guardian reports.
Will expand the collaboration
Many experts in the West suspect that the deal on the nuclear weapons is a step on the way to Belarus’ complete assimilation into Russia.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu says both countries are discussing further ways to integrate their military forces.
There has long been speculation that Belarus may take a more active role in the war and send its own troops to Ukraine.
The US has long had tactical nuclear weapons stationed at US bases around Europe.
FACTS
Belarus and the Russian invasion
Two weeks before the large-scale invasion of Ukraine broke out, Russia and Belarus held joint military exercises, including near the border between Belarus and Ukraine.
In the February 24 invasion, Russian forces entered Ukraine from Belarus, giving them the shortest possible route to the capital, Kiev.
The Western world’s punitive sanctions due to the war have also included Belarus.
During the course of the war, Belarus has periodically held emergency preparedness exercises. Russia has also fired robots into Ukraine from Belarus, which Lukashenko initially tried to deny. Several air bases are used by Russian planes.
(Source: Foreign Policy Institute/TT)
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